


What A Feeling

by roe87



Series: Steve/Bucky modern au's [2]
Category: Captain America (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Actor Bucky Barnes, Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Stripper/Exotic Dancer, Alternate Universe - Sugar Daddy, Bearded Steve Rogers, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Bottom Bucky Barnes, Daddy Kink, Dancer Bucky Barnes, Dating, Divorce, Dramatic Bucky Barnes, Dyslexia, Dyslexic Bucky Barnes, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Gay Bucky Barnes, Happy Ending, Hook-Up, Hopeful Ending, Humor, Lapdance, Long-Haired Bucky Barnes, M/M, Mild Kink, Minor Carol Danvers/Maria Rambeau, Past Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Past Relationship(s), Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Protective Steve Rogers, Rich Steve Rogers, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fluff, Sassy Bucky Barnes, Smut, Strip Tease, Stripper Bucky Barnes, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Sugar Daddy, Sugar Daddy Steve Rogers, Top Steve Rogers, sugar baby bucky barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:35:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27214288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roe87/pseuds/roe87
Summary: Bucky is a young, struggling actor living in New York City, and he works as a male stripper to pay his bills.Steve is a very rich and handsome businessman.One night Steve comes into Bucky's club to get a lap dance, and asks Bucky to come back to his hotel.(Flashdance/Pretty Woman inspired au)
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: Steve/Bucky modern au's [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1350943
Comments: 278
Kudos: 538





	1. First when there's nothing but a slow glowing dream

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I'm re-posting this story. I had to adjust it slightly before I could post the rest.
> 
> I hope you like it, please leave a comment if you do!
> 
> ~
> 
> (No, you needn't have seen either Flashdance or Pretty Woman in order to read this fic)
> 
> ~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featuring my fanart commission of Flashdance!Bucky from firulais, reblog the art on tumblr [here](https://firulaispng.tumblr.com/post/634588698580860928/dancer-bucky-commissioned-by-jro616-for-their).
> 
> ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ 

Bucky sat down with a weary sigh and put his booted feet up on the empty chair opposite.

What a dull night.

He unwrapped his candy bar and shoved half into his mouth, hoping the sugar hit would lift his mood. It was after ten and he wasn't about to have coffee at this hour, not when his shift would be over in another three hours, depending how long the club stayed open.

This was the slowest Saturday night Bucky had seen all summer, and it didn't bode well for his bank balance.

A soft bang and some muted giggles came from the bathroom across the small dressing room, and Bucky glanced over at the closed door for a moment. Some more rhythmic banging indicated that at least _someone_ was having fun.

Bucky ignored the noises and finished his candy bar, then he got his phone out of his bag. The screen was cracked and it was a pain to read anything, but Bucky was bored.

He'd barely managed to scroll through his social media before the dressing room door opened and Clint stood there with an epic frown.

"Where's Pietro?" he demanded.

Clint was the club's manager. Bucky snuck a glance over at the bathroom's locked door as another few bangs and giggles were heard.

Bucky bit back a smirk. "Don't know," he said, looking at his phone again.

"Shit," Clint muttered. "Can you go cover the VIP area? New walk-in's. Their suits look expensive."

Bucky got up immediately and put his phone away. "Well, why didn't you say so!" He paused in front of the mirror to adjust his booty shorts (his only item of clothing other than his boots), and fluff his hair.

Then he dodged past Clint at the door.

"What's that banging?" Clint asked, but Bucky hurried up the stairs without answering.

The thump of music from the club got louder as Bucky ascended the steps, and he punched in the code to open the staff door. He stepped out into the dark interior of the club, music pumping and lights flashing off of the disco balls rotating on the ceiling.

It was just as dead as earlier, Bucky noted, as he weaved between tables and past the main stage, with only a couple patrons sitting up front. But as Clint had said, now a couple guys in suits were over in the VIP section. Bucky fixed a smile onto his face and headed over there.

The VIP section was on a raised platform and partially hidden by a beaded curtain from the rest of the club. It had its own mini stage there with a pole, surrounded by armchairs. Bucky counted two guys in suits, one currently getting a lapdance from Soren, and the other guy watching.

Sitting in the VIP section cost extra, and it came with a free bottle of champagne. Bucky noticed that the guy on his own wasn't drinking (which was good, as Bucky wasn't keen on dancing for drunk customers), and he looked up as Bucky approached.

He was certainly handsome, Bucky thought. Dark blond hair neatly swept back, with a darker, trimmed beard on his square jaw. He was broad, huge actually, almost dwarfing the armchair. Maybe in his forties, but Bucky didn't mind older guys at all.

He kept his smile as he leaned into the guy, placing his hand onto the armrest. "Hi," he said, injecting sultriness into his voice, "I'm Bucky."

The guy smiled back, and his eyes were very blue. "Bucky?" he repeated, his deep voice just the right pitch to send an involuntary shudder down Bucky's spine.

"Yeah," Bucky said. "Would you like a dance?"

Blue Eyes looked Bucky up and down, appraising, before looking back up at him. "Is there somewhere we can go that's more private?" he asked.

"Sure there is," Bucky replied, "but it costs a little extra."

Blue Eyes smiled. "That's fine. Lead the way."

  
  


Bucky took Blue Eyes to a private booth in the back, and gestured for him to take a seat.

As he unhooked the velvet drapes, Bucky glanced at his wristwatch to make a note of the time. Everything was timed here, and the private booths cost extra.

Blue Eyes sat himself in one of the armchairs, smiling as Bucky took a seat next to him. There was a small table to the side, with a drinks menu on it.

"Would you like any refreshments?" Blue Eyes asked. "I didn't want to take my friend's champagne from him, but we can order whatever you want."

Bucky smiled at that. He'd been praying for a high roller all week, and hopefully this guy was just the ticket.

"I wouldn't mind a bourbon," Bucky replied.

"A man after my own heart." Blue Eyes grinned. "Will they come round to take our order?"

"Yeah." Bucky reached under the small table and felt around for the button. He found it and pressed it once. "It'll just be a second."

Blue Eyes smiled at him. "Can I get you anything else? I saw they do hot wings?"

Bucky almost laughed, and shook his head. "I'm good, but thank you. If you want to order food you'll have to do it before eleven."

"Oh, I couldn't eat anything," Blue Eyes laughed; a deep, happy laugh. "We were at a six course meal earlier and it went on forever."

Bucky schooled his features carefully, and gave a small smile in reply. "That's a lot of food. Special occasion?"

"Just a business conference," Blue Eyes said dismissively. "Nothing interesting, but at least the food was good."

That made Bucky laugh. Blue Eyes was sassy, and Bucky liked sassy.

"What's your name?"

"Steve."

"Well, Steve," Bucky said smoothly, "I'm so happy you decided to visit our little club tonight."

"It was all Tony's idea," Steve said with a grin. "But I'm glad he convinced me to come. This is great."

"Tony work with you?" Bucky asked.

"Yeah, he's based here in New York," Steve said. "We've been doing business together for almost sixteen years now."

"Wow, that's some time," Bucky said. "You're not from round here?"

"I am. I mean, I was." Steve smiled, looking wistful. "I sure miss New York. I'm from Brooklyn originally, but I've been living and working in DC."

Bucky hummed in reply, and it was on the tip of his tongue to say he was from Brooklyn too, but he wasn't in the habit of giving out his personal information to customers.

Luckily Darcy, one of the bar staff, interrupted by calling through the drape, "Would you like to order anything?"

"You want bourbon too?" Bucky asked Steve. He nodded, so Bucky jumped up quick to go speak to Darcy. "Hey," he said quietly, peeping through the drape. "Two bourbons, Darce. Make one a double?"

"Sure," she replied, giving him a smile. "I'll be two shakes."

"You're the best." Bucky let the drape fall closed again, and sat back down in his chair. "She won't be long."

Steve smiled at him. "I'm in no hurry."

Customers never were, Bucky thought with a smile. And now he better address the subject of payment.

"Did you want to pay for the drinks with cash, or open a tab?" he asked.

"Tony has a tab at the bar," Steve replied.

"Okay," Bucky said. "And how do you want to pay for the booth?"

"I guess I can open my own tab," Steve offered. "Or does cash work better for you?"

Damn, Bucky thought happily, he could almost hear the _ker-ching_ of money. "Either is fine," he said. "The club takes a cut either way."

Steve nodded. "I see."

Darcy came back with their drinks, backing into the booth carefully through the drapes. Bucky smirked at her as she set the bourbons down onto their table with coasters.

"Two bourbons," she said. "Can I get you boys anything else?"

"That's fine for now, thank you," Steve said, taking out his wallet. He handed over a shiny credit card. "I'd like to open a tab with this, and please add on a drink for yourself if you want one."

Darcy beamed. "Thank you, sir. I will." She took the card and placed it onto the serving tray, then left the booth.

Bucky picked up the glasses and handed Steve the double. "Here's to surviving your six course meal," he said, offering a toast.

Steve laughed. "I'll drink to that." He gently knocked his glass to Bucky's then raised it to his lips to take a sip.

Bucky took a small sip of his drink, watching Steve's hand closely. No wedding band in sight, but Bucky spotted a tan line there, like one had recently been removed.

Not uncommon for businessmen to do that before entering strip clubs.

"That's a nice bourbon," Steve said. "I don't normally drink, but this has been a long, _long_ day."

There was Bucky's opening.

"Would it make your day better if I danced for you?"

Steve grinned in reply. "Yeah, it would."

"Just so you know, dances cost thirty dollars each in this booth," Bucky said, because he was required to inform customers before the purchase.

Steve simply nodded. "That's fine."

Bucky smiled back. He was gonna make bank tonight, he could feel it. Setting his drink down, Bucky got to his feet and approached Steve.

"Can you open your legs a bit, please?" he asked.

Steve parted his knees, lounging back in his chair with a smile on his face. His eyes flitted up and down Bucky's body, lingering at his crotch. Bucky noticed these things, and he was used to it.

He wasted no time in starting the dance, edging in closer with one leg either side of Steve's knee. Bucky placed both hands onto the armchair: its sturdy frame and wide armrests made lap dancing a piece of cake. He used the chair for balance as he leaned into Steve, first pushing his bare chest close to Steve's face and moving his body slowly to the beat of the music.

Then he leaned in a little closer like he was going to dive into Steve's lap, but held himself just shy of touching.

Bucky flicked his hair, letting it fall over Steve's head and shoulder, and he leaned in to whisper in his ear, "This good for you?"

Steve chuckled lightly. "Sure. Keep going, gorgeous."

Bucky got called all sorts of pet names when he worked but he certainly preened a little at Steve calling him gorgeous.

"Anything you say, daddy," he replied cheekily.

It was a risk, giving customers a pet name in return, but when Bucky pulled back and looked in Steve's eyes, his pupils were _huge_ so Bucky counted it as a win. He grinned, feeling pleased with himself, and drew back until he was on his feet again.

"Like what you see?" he asked, and made of show of dragging his hands up his body and pushing his pecs together.

Steve watched him with clear interest and when his eyes flicked up to meet Bucky's they had a predatory glint as he smiled.

"Turn around for me, sweetheart. Give me a good view."

Bucky grinned at that, and obediently turned on the spot. He spread his feet for balance and bent his knees, showing off his twerking skills. When he straightened back up, Bucky looked over his shoulder at Steve to check how he was doing, and throw a flirty smile his way.

Steve was being the perfect customer so far: sitting still with his hands to himself, occasionally sipping his drink. He smiled back at Bucky too, like he wanted Bucky to know he approved.

Bucky put more effort into his dance than he normally did, moving his body to the music and reaching up to hold his hair off his neck. He gathered his hair up, ruffling it before letting it fall back onto his shoulders.

Next, Bucky reached behind him and groped his own ass, really digging his fingers into the skin. He gave one cheek a sharp little smack for Steve's benefit.

Steve said, "Turn around, gorgeous. I wanna see you."

Bucky did as he was told and turned back to face Steve with a smile. "How am I doing?" he asked, placing his hands on the chair to lean in over him.

Steve gazed at him. "If you sit on my lap, you'll find out."

Bucky's usual response to that line was, this isn't that sort of club. But he _liked_ Steve and he could bend the rules a little.

Bucky turned his back to Steve, adjusting his stance. He placed each of his hands onto the chair for support, dipped his ass down low and brushed it over Steve's lap.

Yep, Steve was definitely hard. Bucky felt his prominent boner and God, how he wished they were in a bed alone together and Bucky could just sink down onto his cock.

Bucky closed his eyes for a moment imagining it. He was getting hard himself, and horny as hell. He was playing with fire here.

Steve grunted softly as Bucky ground his ass into his lap. "Damn," he murmured, and Bucky had to bite his lip so he didn't moan back in response.

But when Steve's hand crept up onto Bucky's leg, Bucky decided he better lay out some ground rules.

He stood up quick and spun round, placing his hands onto the chair and looking Steve dead in the eye. "The rules are," he said calmly, "you can do what you want with your own dick, but you gotta keep your pants on at all times. Also, no touching me. Got it?"

"Oh," Steve replied, looking somewhat dazed. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Bucky told him. He didn't exactly mind someone like Steve making a pass at him. It just kind of sucked that they couldn't do anything about it.

"I like working here," Bucky explained. "I don't want to lose my job if we get caught doing something we're not supposed to."

"Of course." Steve nodded, then felt around in his jacket pocket. "Am I allowed to tip you?"

Tip was the magic word, as far as Bucky was concerned.

"I love tips," he said, smiling.

Steve smiled back at him, and counted out a couple bills in his hand. They were _fifties_. Bucky's eyes widened before he remembered to act cool.

"You get to keep the tips, right?" Steve asked.

Bucky nodded. If he didn't declare them, yeah. And he wasn't about to tell anyone he'd gotten fifties.

"May I...?" Steve gestured with the notes to Bucky's shorts.

Bucky smiled wryly. That sort of thing was only allowed when dancers were onstage, to cut down on prolonged groping.

But right now, with Steve, he didn't care.

"Sure," he said, straightening up so he could thrust his erection at Steve's eager hands.

Steve fumbled at first, then slipped the notes inside the waistband of Bucky's shorts. One hand cupped Bucky's ass, while the other grazed his inner thigh, his thumb pressing into the sensitive skin there.

Then Steve withdrew his hands.

It wasn't what Bucky had expected, and it left him wishing Steve had touched him some more.

Steve sat back in his chair and looked up at Bucky with a small, mischievous smile. Bucky smiled back automatically. He figured he'd try squeeze a few more tips out of Steve before the night was up.

"Want me to keep dancing for you?" he asked hopefully.

Steve's smile grew. "Please do."

  
  


  
  



	2. That your fear seems to hide deep inside your mind

  
  


"When do you get off work?" Steve asked.

It was past midnight, and Steve had been at the club for nearly three hours already. Most of that time in the private booth with Bucky, and Bucky had to admit, he'd enjoyed every minute.

But their time together had clearly come to an end. Bucky tried not to feel sad about that, and made sure he had a pleasant smile on his face. "Not for another couple hours at least," he said. "Then we gotta stick around for the manager and stuff. You know how it is."

Steve smiled, then had to suppress a yawn. "Sorry. I gotta go lay down," he said, laughing at himself.

"You've had a long day," Bucky agreed.

"Come to my hotel later," Steve said. "Take a cab, I'll pay for it."

Bucky was mildly surprised, but he got offers like this fairly regularly and it was rarely serious: likely Steve would go back to his hotel tonight, fall asleep and forget Bucky even existed.

Bucky gave him a polite smile in reply, but Steve pressed the matter saying, "I want to see you."

And oh, if that didn't speak to all the yearning parts of Bucky's body and soul right now.

But he had to be realistic. "Steve, it would be after three AM."

"I don't care," Steve replied, fishing inside his jacket. He produced a card and handed it to Bucky. "If you send me a message when you're free, I'll have the hotel send a car for you."

Bucky bit his lip so he wouldn't laugh. This sounded like some Pretty Woman set up.

He took the card anyway, looking it over. Steve Rogers, managing director, the card said, along with some business name Bucky hadn't heard of, an email address and a cell phone number.

"What hotel are you staying at?" he asked.

"The Apollo," Steve said. "It's a block away from Stark Tower."

So, lower Manhattan, Bucky thought. Not too far from the club. Still, it was highly unlikely Steve would still be awake later.

"You staying in this hotel room alone?" Bucky asked with a wry smile.

"Yes, it's just me," Steve said.

Bucky nodded in a non committal way. "Well, if you're still awake I'll speak to you later, okay?"

"I have insomnia," Steve said with a shrug. "After a quick nap I'll be wide awake again."

Bucky gave him a fond smile. "Better go take your nap, then."

  
  


~~

  
  


After Steve and his friend Tony had settled up their tabs and left the club, Bucky had a sort of restless energy he needed to shake.

He'd made a ton of money tonight dancing for Steve in the private booth. He'd get his cut later when Clint was done with the cashing up, and on top of that Bucky still had the cash tips stuffed inside his shorts that he had to hide.

He snuck into the bathroom and managed to transfer most of it into his boot, where it'd be safe for now.

If he was lucky, his bank balance would be out the red this month, and maybe even next month too.

Bucky strode through the near empty club and leaned into the DJ booth. The DJ was sitting at the bar, texting on his phone because it was that quiet.

Bucky cued up a couple of his favorite songs, then headed over to the stage. The only patrons sitting at tables were busy getting lap dances, so Bucky had the stage to himself. He got up onstage and grabbed the pole with one hand, turning a fast spin.

He'd spent a long time dancing for Steve tonight, and that wasn't what was bothering him at all. The time between dances, where all the small talk and chatting up the customer happened, could sometimes be the most exhausting part, depending on the customer.

This job was all about customer service, and small talk wasn't always easy. And yet, Steve had been so nice, so attentive. Even with a couple more bourbons in him, he'd been charming, flirty, very sassy at times but always polite.

And now Bucky felt restless and a little bit ticked off that he couldn't meet someone like Steve outside of work, where they could go on a date or get to know each other.

No, it was likely that Bucky would never see Steve again. That's usually how things went.

  
  


The club closed a little before two AM that night.

Clint was in a bad mood, and was busy chewing out the dancers who'd either played hooky having sex in the dressing room (Pietro and the new guy), or drank too much and danced sloppy (Soren and Billy), or had some money mix up with a customer (Teddy), so Bucky kept out of Clint's way and went to hang out with Darcy at the bar while she cleaned up.

Bucky sat on a barstool, dressed in his sweats while he nursed a soda.

"Hope you made some dough off that rich guy," Darcy said, as she scrubbed down the bar.

"Yeah, it was good," Bucky said, thinking about Steve, again.

Would he still be awake?

Bucky drummed his fingers on the bar as he debated it. When Darcy wasn't looking, Bucky got out the card Steve had given him and entered the cell number into his phone. Then he sent Steve a text to see if he was still up.

Steve replied almost instantly, confirming that, yes, he was awake, and could he send a car to the club to pick Bucky up.

Bucky felt a rush of excitement at the offer and impulsively replied _yes_ _._ Then he hurried off to find Clint so he could settle up and get the fuck out of there.

It wasn't that Bucky had never hooked up with a customer before, because he had, a few times. He was young, gay and single, and he figured as long as he was safe he may as well have his fun.

No one had ever sent a car for him, though. Not like this.

Bucky got a text from Steve saying his car should be outside, and when he exited the club and came out onto the street, there was a sleek black car waiting.

Getting into strange cars wasn't high on Bucky's list of things to do, but a quick assessment alleviated some of his fear: driver ID on the dash, and the Apollo hotel insignia in a few eye catching places over the car.

Bucky felt safe enough to get in. The driver barely said a word after a formal greeting, then drove him through Manhattan. At least the traffic wasn't too bad at this hour.

Bucky texted Steve: _omw_

He jiggled his knee with nervous energy, with multiple scenarios flitting through his mind of how tonight (or, technically, this morning) would play out. It was exciting and Bucky enjoyed the feeling of being chauffeured around like he was someone special.

He peered out the window at all the buildings they passed, some lit up in the sky night. The traffic was quiet but constant, with a couple car horns going off. New York never slept.

When the car pulled up to a grand building Bucky figured it was taking a pit-stop.

The driver looked at him in the mirror. "The Apollo hotel, sir."

Bucky looked out the window at the imposing image of the tall building with a fancy, lit up front entrance.

"Oh," he said in surprise. "Um, thanks."

He got out of the car, feeling out of his depth almost immediately. What the hell? Bucky couldn't believe it, this place looked like a palace. Over its front entrance was a porch slash modern art sculpture featuring glass panels, lights, and decorative flowers. Bucky gazed up at it in awe as he approached, and almost missed the doorman in uniform waiting by the revolving glass doors.

"Do you need help with any luggage, sir?" the guy asked.

"Huh?" Bucky said, trying to gather himself. "Um, no?"

He only had his sports bag with him. Maybe this guy thought he was checking in.

"The reception desk is inside and to your left, sir," the guy said, smirking slightly.

Bucky felt a blush rise in his cheeks. "Great. Thanks." He hurried into the door so he could escape, and got another surprise when the doors moved automatically as soon as he stepped in.

"Jesus," Bucky murmured, his heart hammering away.

As soon as the doors delivered him to the interior and Bucky took a look around, he wanted to get straight back into the revolving doors and run home.

This place was _expensive_.

Bucky had never been inside anywhere like this in his life, and it was intimidating. Everything about the décor, from the potted plants to the art on the walls, screamed _money_.

Bucky glanced over at the reception desk. The clerk there was busy talking to an older couple wearing overcoats, like they were headed out. At least Bucky wasn't the only person wandering around in the middle of the night.

He got out his phone and quickly tapped out a text to Steve: _I'm downstairs. Where do I go?_

Bucky inhaled shakily, then jumped when his ringtone blared out Lady Gaga in the quiet reception area. Bucky accepted the call before he got thrown out for causing a disturbance.

"Hello?" he whispered.

Steve's warm laughed greeted his ears. "Why're you whispering?"

Bucky smiled in relief. "I don't know," he said quietly. "Maybe because it's late and I didn't want to disturb anyone."

Steve laughed again. "Okay," he said. "Are you coming up to see me?"

"Thought I'd hide behind this potted fern over here," Bucky quipped. "Looks big, no one will notice me."

"Are you alright?" Steve asked. "Want me to come down and find you?"

"I, um." Bucky glanced over at the clerk, who wasn't even paying him any attention. "I'm okay," Bucky said. "But I mean, what do I do? Do I just go up in the elevator?"

"I left a key for you at reception under your name," Steve said. "You need it to use the elevator."

"Oh, right." Bucky turned to the reception desk, then hesitated. "Then what?"

Steve chuckled lowly, right in Bucky's ear, and it did all sorts of things to Bucky's heart-rate.

"Come up to the top floor."

"The top floor," Bucky repeated dubiously. "But what room are you in?"

"Penthouse suite," Steve replied calmly. "Get in the elevator with your key card, swipe it, and then press the button that says penthouse suite."

Bucky made a small noise, half in shock and half in awe. The penthouse suite?

"Bucky?" Steve prompted.

"Yes," Bucky choked out, then cleared his throat. "Okay, I'm on it. Put the strawberries and champagne on ice, I'll be right there."

Steve laughed again. "Alright. Call me if you get lost."

Bucky smiled to himself and ended the call. Okay, Bucky, he thought, you can do this. He walked with purpose up to the reception desk, and plastered on his best pleasant smile.

"Hey," he said, as the clerk looked up. "There should be a key for me?"

"Your name, sir?" the clerk asked.

"Bucky."

The clerk searched under the marble desk, then handed over a white envelope. "Here you are, sir. The elevator is to your right over there."

"Thanks." Bucky took the envelope with a grin, then hurried along to the elevator.

The doors opened for him but when Bucky got inside and pressed the penthouse button, the elevator didn't move.

"Oh, wait," he muttered, and opened up his envelope. He had to swipe the card. Bucky fumbled to get the card out, swiped it in the reader next to the panel, and pressed the button for penthouse suite.

The doors slid closed and Bucky held his breath.

This was it, he thought. He was going to see an actual penthouse suite, bang a rich guy, and after that he'd change his name to Vivian and live happily ever after.

Bucky had an overactive imagination, and he had definitely watched Pretty Woman way too many times.

Be realistic, he reminded himself. It'll be a fun hook up, nothing more.

The elevator went up so smoothly Bucky barely felt it move. Then the doors opened with a muted _ping_ and Bucky stepped out cautiously into what looked like a millionaire's lavish apartment.

"Hello?" he called, feeling nervous again.

This place looked even more expensive. Bucky could probably steal a vase or a throw cushion and sell it on eBay for a fortune.

"Steve?" Bucky called.

"Hey!" Steve called back, appearing round a corner. "You made it!"

"Yeah." Bucky smiled as Steve approached, still dressed in slacks and his shirt, but with his tie removed and his top button undone. "Did you take your nap?"

Steve chuckled, his eyes crinkling up with amusement. "I did, actually. It really helped. Come on in!" He gestured to the apartment. "Let me show you the lounge."

Bucky followed his lead, walking beside Steve and gazing around at the place. "So... penthouse, huh?"

"Yeah." Steve laughed. "Our company owns this hotel."

Bucky made a little noise of approval and thought, damn, he should've asked for bigger tips after all.

"This is the lounge," Steve said, arm sweeping out casually at a beautiful room with a spectacular night-time view of the city.

"Wow," Bucky breathed, eyes drawn immediately to the window. "Look at that view."

"Yeah, it's something," Steve agreed. "Wanna see? There's a balcony."

Bucky's eyes went wide and he nodded.

Steve went over to the window, pulling on a handle to reveal sliding glass doors. The gauzy white drapes billowed in the breeze as Steve stepped outside.

Bucky dumped his bag on a chair and followed Steve out. He inhaled sharply at the fantastic view of New York spread out below him. "It's incredible," he said. "How high up are we?"

"We're on the fifty-first floor," Steve said.

"No way," Bucky breathed.

"Yes, way," Steve laughed, amused.

A soft _ding-dong_ sounded inside the apartment, and Bucky looked to Steve in question.

"That's room service," Steve said, heading back inside. "Wait right there, I'll be back."

Bucky nodded. He felt a little overwhelmed, but in a good way. He felt safe with Steve, and being up so high with the view of the city was simply magical. Bucky watched the twinkling lights all around him and the street way down below as he waited for Steve. Seeing everything so tiny like this made Bucky realise just how small he was in the scale of the universe. He felt on top of the world up here.

"Here we are," Steve said, returning to the balcony. He had two glass flutes in hand, and offered one to Bucky. "It's champagne, but if you want anything else, just say."

"Thanks." Bucky took the flute. "This is fine. Was that what you ordered? Champagne?"

"You said champagne and strawberries." Steve smiled at him. "The strawberries are inside, by the way."

Bucky smiled back and raised his glass. "Here's to speedy room service."

Steve laughed brightly, and his laugh was infectious. Bucky felt happy just from hearing him laugh.

They sipped their champagne looking at the view.

"I bet the sunrise looks awesome here," Bucky mused, looking between the tall buildings at the night sky.

"It really is," Steve agreed. "Won't be for another couple hours, though." He shot Bucky a flirty look. "Stick around, we can watch it together."

"I'd love to."

"The view's better from the bedroom," Steve added, making Bucky giggle.

"Smooth," Bucky said.

Steve smiled, watching Bucky with a sly glint in his eyes. "Would you like a tour?"

Bucky smiled, knowing that tour was usually code for _bedroom_.

"I'd love a tour."

  
  



	3. All alone I have cried, silent tears full of pride

"So how much does this place cost?" Bucky asked, as Steve showed him around the suite that was easily ten times bigger than Bucky's apartment. He went to take a sip of champagne.

"Around sixteen thousand dollars a night," Steve said, as Bucky nearly choked on champagne.

"Sixteen thousand dollars?" he said in disbelief.

Steve paused to flash him a smile. "Give or take."

"Jeez," Bucky said, as Steve chuckled lowly. "Do you pay that much?"

"Not as much," Steve said. "Part of why I use our suites from time to time is to check that the services are competitive. I stay in other leading hotels too."

"Like a secret shopper?"

"It pays to know your competitors."

"Mm," Bucky said, still in shock. "Then what?"

Steve quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"If some other place is better," Bucky said, shrugging, "what do you do?"

Steve smiled. "We make sure our brand is the better one," he said, like this wasn't even an issue. "It's worked so far." He gestured toward another set of doors. "Want to see the hot tub?"

Bucky nodded, following Steve into a sprawling, beautiful modern bathroom. "You wanna know how I take care of my competitors?" Bucky said, glancing over at the empty hot tub. "I just trip them over."

Steve looked at him in surprise, then broke into a wide smile. "I can't believe you have any competitors, Bucky."

"Hah," Bucky said, and knocked back the last of his champagne. "Smooth, Steve. Very smooth."

They shared a smile and Bucky felt the butterflies swoop in his stomach when Steve looked at him. Bucky had to look away. He was bouncing between feeling nervous and feeling excited, and he hadn't felt like this for some time.

"Is this the only bathroom?"

"No, there's more," Steve replied.

"Of course there is," Bucky said, following as Steve continued the tour. "I can't even remember where I left my bag..."

"It's in the lounge," Steve said, turning to head back the way they'd come. "I'll get it."

"Oh, you don't have to," Bucky tried, but Steve had hurried off to go fetch his bag. Bucky shrugged, and gazed around at the art on the walls.

Could he sneak out with a painting shoved under his sweater? Probably not. A vase, though. He could certainly fit a vase in his bag.

He wasn't seriously considering it, just musing to himself.

"Here," Steve said, coming back with Bucky's bag.

Bucky smiled at him. "Thanks. So, which way's the bedroom?"

Steve beamed in response. "Just along the hall here."

  
  


~~

  
  


If Bucky had thought the rest of the suite was fancy, it was nothing compared to the bedroom.

It was big, for starters, with the most incredible queen sized bed. The décor, though, was what made it special: everything looked so soft and pretty, Bucky wanted to touch it all, and he wanted to leap on the bed and jump up and down excitedly.

He managed to reign himself in and offered Steve a small smile. "Is there a shower I can use? I usually shower after work."

"Yeah, sure," Steve said, and showed him to an en suite bathroom. "You can use anything in here. There's fresh towels."

"Thanks," Bucky told him. "I won't be long. Why don't you wait for me on the bed?"

Steve smiled back at him. "Sure. And take your time, I don't mind."

He was just too cute, Bucky thought, smiling as he closed the door and locked himself in the bathroom.

And this bathroom was real fancy. It was tempting to do as Steve had said and take his time, but Bucky wanted to be with Steve so he'd make it quick.

He set his bag onto the counter and opened it, unpacking some of his stuff. First, he shed his clothes and shoes, and hung them off to the side. Underwear and socks went into a ziplock bag, and into his sports bag. Bucky was a tidy gay, and when he spent most of his time in the club covered in bronzer, body oil, glitter and sweat, it paid to keep things clean in their separate places.

Next, Bucky clipped his hair up onto his head, took out his face wipes and removed the eyeliner from his eyes quickly and efficiently.

Then he went to inspect the shower cubicle, the size of which was easily bigger than the first apartment Bucky had rented in New York.

He turned on the water and it was instantly hot. A minor miracle, compared to what Bucky was used to in his own place. He got inside and washed himself down using the products inside the stall (hotel soaps!) and it smelled pretty nice: spicy and expensive.

Bucky only showered to get the oils off his skin and clean up, so he was fast. Then he got out and towelled off. He stood in front of the mirror and picked up some bottles of lotion from the sink, sniffing them first to test. He decided to stick with his own product, and rubbed some moisturising butter on his body.

He found a soft white robe, which smelled vaguely of Steve, and he put it on, securing it at the waist. Lastly, Bucky unclipped his hair, arranging it prettily to the side.

He was ready.

(He hoped.)

Bucky took a fortifying breath and unlocked the bathroom door. He entered the bedroom, its lighting now soft and low, and spotted Steve over on the bed watching a gigantic flatscreen that had appeared from a hidden compartment.

"Whoa, how many inches is that?" Bucky asked, padding barefoot across the bedroom floor.

Steve sat up with a grin, tossing the TV remote aside. "Sixty-eight."

"Impressive," Bucky said, smirking. He watched Steve shift to sit on the side of the bed as he beckoned Bucky over.

"C'mere, gorgeous."

Bucky approached slowly, coming to stand in front of Steve. There was something very attractive about the way Steve looked at him, giving Bucky his undivided attention.

Bucky tilted his head to the side, unable to stop from smiling. "Thanks for the shower."

"Any time," Steve said, gazing up at him. "Customer satisfaction report?"

"Oh, it was excellent." Bucky nodded. "Ten out of ten, the water pressure was so soft it was like being kissed by angels."

Steve laughed at that, like he actually found Bucky's dorky sense of humor amusing. "Good," he said, eyes flitting over Bucky's form. "You like the robe?"

"It's very soft."

"Yes, it is." Steve reached out and gingerly placed his hands onto Bucky's hips. He looked up at Bucky, as if asking permission, so Bucky took a step closer.

Steve took the hint and moved his hands slowly down. Bucky watched, his breathing shallow with anticipation. Steve reached his hands under the robe, fingers tickling at Bucky's bare legs, making him giggle.

Steve smiled at him. "Ticklish?"

"Not usually," Bucky admitted.

"I see. How's this?" Steve stroked his hands up Bucky's thighs, and Bucky liked that a lot. He nodded, humming his approval.

"Your skin is real soft," Steve murmured, feeling around the back of Bucky's thighs and squeezing his ass.

Bucky reached out and laid his hand onto Steve's shoulder for balance as Steve groped at his ass. Bucky's dick was hard with want, and his breathing became deeper. He wanted this, he wanted Steve real bad.

Steve's breathing became deeper too, and the air between them felt charged. Steve removed his hands from under the robe and went to untie the cord in the front. He glanced up at Bucky, and Bucky nodded.

Steve undid the cord slowly, watching it as he did. The cord fell away and Steve parted the robe gently, exposing Bucky's naked body. Bucky let go of Steve's shoulder so Steve could push the robe away, letting it fall to the floor. He looked down, watching Steve stare at him and at his cock, jutting out erect.

Steve wet his lips, desire written all over his face. Bucky reached out to touch his shoulder again, needing the contact. Steve laid a hand over Bucky's, turning it up as he pressed a kiss to Bucky's inner wrist, right over his pulse point. His lips were soft, and the beard hairs tickled a bit.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" Steve said, looking up at him.

If Bucky had been a novice, he would've been lost for words right now. Luckily he was used to sweet talk and flirting, so he smiled down at Steve.

"I'm glad you think so," he replied.

He was a little surprised, pleasantly so, when Steve got to his feet, crowding into Bucky. "I know so," he said, pressing his clothed body against Bucky's naked skin. He had a few inches on Bucky and towered over him. Steve circled his arms around Bucky and said, "Jump on."

Bucky liked where this was going. He held onto Steve's shoulders and jumped up, hooking his legs around Steve's slim waist. Steve held him easily, arms secure round Bucky's back, and carried him to the bed. Bucky made an excited noise as his back met the soft mattress.

"So strong," he praised, hands roving over Steve's hard shoulders and down his arms. Steve felt ripped under there, and Bucky was dying to see but Steve made no move to get undressed. He laid himself on top of Bucky, resting his weight on his forearms as he leaned down and captured Bucky's mouth in a kiss.

Bucky kissed him back gladly, and he was delighted to find out that Steve was a great kisser, taking the lead but still being considerate. Bucky opened his mouth, inviting Steve to deepen the kiss. Steve's tongue invaded Bucky's mouth as Steve pressed him down on the bed, covering Bucky with his body and grinding against him.

Bucky moaned, felt Steve's hard cock rubbing against his own, the fabric of Steve's pants scratching lightly against his bare skin and creating some amazing friction.

Steve took his time, making out with Bucky and grinding into him. Bucky gasped into Steve's mouth, turned on and loving every second of it. Steve broke the kiss, looking into Bucky's eyes as he asked, "What do you want, sweetheart?"

"Um, I-I don't mind," Bucky gasped back. _Everything_ , was his answer, but he'd take what he could get.

"I want to bring you off," Steve told him, voice husky with arousal. "Can I?"

Bucky nodded. Like he was gonna say no? "Yeah," he agreed, and let Steve arrange them both on the bed. Steve lay on his side, with Bucky tucked into the crook of his arm so Steve could kiss him. Steve's other hand felt down Bucky's body and wrapped around his shaft, squeezing gently.

"I've waited all night to get my hands on you," Steve murmured softly.

Bucky let out a little cry as Steve began pumping his cock slowly.

"God, you're gorgeous," Steve told him, kissing along Bucky's jaw. "Does that feel good, baby?"

"Mm, yes," Bucky breathed, arching into Steve's fist. He desperately needed the friction, but Steve set the pace slow. He pumped Bucky's cock all the way to the tip, squeezing out pre-come and spreading it over the head. Bucky whimpered, clinging onto Steve's arm and thrusting up into his hand.

"Mmm, that's it," Steve rumbled, and pumped him again, setting a steady rhythm. "You're so fucking hot. I came back here and jerked myself off thinking of you, about getting you in my bed. I came so fucking hard."

"Oh, fuck," Bucky whimpered, feeling his orgasm looming. Dirty talk always did it for him. "Please."

"I liked it when you called me daddy," Steve said, pumping him faster. "Say it again."

"Please, daddy," Bucky gasped. "Please... oh, fuck!" His orgasm swept in, surprising him with its intensity. Bucky clung to Steve as he came, crying out and shooting his load all over himself.

Steve pumped him through it, murmuring encouragement and kissing his jawline. "That's a good boy," he praised. "You're so pretty. I knew you'd look pretty when you come."

Bucky broke into a grin, basking in all the praise. "Thank you, daddy." He pulled Steve down for another kiss, enjoying the post orgasmic make-out session.

"What about you?" he asked, when Steve pulled away.

"Just wait there for me, sweetheart," Steve told him, getting off the bed. He began unbuttoning his shirt, smiling down at Bucky.

Bucky shifted impatiently, and glanced down at himself where he'd come everywhere. "I'm all sticky," he said, looking up at Steve.

Steve's smile turned into a wicked grin. "I know. You look hot."

Bucky preened at that, and raised his arms over his head to pose and play with his hair. "You think I look hot?"

"You know you do," Steve said, finally removing his shirt.

Bucky's eyes nearly bugged out. Holy shit, Steve was _ripped_. Bucky couldn't wait to get his hands on all that smooth, toned muscle. "Somebody lifts," Bucky murmured, making Steve chuckle.

Next came the pants as Steve undressed, and his boner when it popped out was a work of art itself.

"Fuck," Bucky murmured, watching as Steve got a condom packet and opened it. "Uh, hey," Bucky spoke up, as Steve rolled the condom onto his dick. "We haven't done any prep?"

"I'm not going in your ass, sweetheart," Steve said, climbing back onto the bed. "Lay still for me and press your legs together."

"Oh, yeah," Bucky said, catching on. He actually really liked it this way too. He obediently pressed his legs close together as Steve got on top of him, straddling Bucky's body.

Bucky tilted his head down so he could watch Steve's ripped abs clench tight, with his fat cock pointing down as Steve positioned his hips. Then Steve thrust his cock in between Bucky's thighs and groaned at the contact. Bucky looked up at Steve's face, straining with effort as he began thrusting in and out between Bucky's legs, brushing up at the underside of Bucky's tight balls. Bucky let out a gasp, still riding his post orgasmic high as he watched Steve use him to get off.

Steve's sculpted upper body bunched and tensed with his efforts, then his broad chest pressed up into Bucky's face as Steve got into his rhythm, fucking between Bucky's legs with force. Bucky got bounced on the bed like he was a ragdoll, and he loved it. He held onto Steve's body, fingers digging in and urging him on.

Steve came quickly, groaning long and hard. Bucky stuck his tongue out to lick a wet stripe up Steve's enormous pec, because he could.

Steve adjusted his position and tilted his head, capturing Bucky's mouth in a kiss. Bucky wrapped his arms around Steve's ridiculously large shoulders and kissed him back.

"Will you stay the night?" Steve asked, panting slightly.

"Sure," Bucky said easily. "I need another shower, anyway."

Steve chuckled. "Or we could jump in the hot tub, if you like?"

Was that even a question, Bucky wondered. "Yes," he said with a grin. "Yes, please."

  
  



	4. In a world made of steel, made of stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick PSA: 
> 
> Americans who are eligible to vote: you have ONE WEEK left to vote! You must return your vote BEFORE Nov 3 for it to count!  
> Godspeed and vote that appalling excuse for a human being out of office. Good luck!
> 
> ~~~

One thing Bucky had been blessed with in life was the ability to sleep just about anywhere, and like a log.

After a long, eventful night followed by fooling around with Steve in the hot tub until the early hours, Bucky slept hard. He probably should've warned Steve about his snoring too.

Bucky woke up feeling groggy, perhaps a little hungover. He glanced at the empty side of the bed, and around the darkened room. Steve wasn't there, and when Bucky saw the time on the bedside clock he figured he should drag his ass out of bed.

That was the other thing, Bucky wasn't good in the mornings. His older sister, Becca, had frequently made jokes about him resembling a recently resurrected mummy; groaning, walking clumsily and bashing into things.

Bucky got up and trudged to the bathroom. There was a small light over the mirror and Bucky switched it on.

He cleaned up, washed his face and felt marginally better. He brushed his bedhair and clipped it up out of the way.

The soft robe was hanging on the door, and Bucky decided to borrow it again. He put it on and tied it, opened the door and managed to bang his elbow as he walked through it.

Bucky wandered out of the bedroom and into the bright apartment, squinting his eyes. He should've brought his sunglasses. He heard Steve's voice, talking quietly from another room. Bucky followed it, wondering who he was talking to.

Bucky peered around a corner into a bright and airy dining room, and spotted Steve sitting at the table in front of a laptop. He was fully dressed in slacks and a shirt, and he had glasses on.

Bucky edged closer, curious.

Whoever Steve was talking to, it sounded more business than pleasure. He was clearly talking about something business-y for sure. Something about figures and reports.

Bucky wondered if he should wait until Steve was done. It looked like he could be Skyping, and he probably wouldn't appreciate Bucky strutting past the camera in his bathrobe.

Bucky backed away into the hall, when the sleeve of his robe caught a small side table and nearly toppled a vase.

"Shit," Bucky hissed, reacting fast (given his morning state) and managing to catch the vase before it fell.

Steve must've heard him, as he paused in speaking.

Bucky winced to himself and set the vase back on its table, then peeped around the wall to see what Steve was doing.

Steve was looking right at him, smiling. He calmly removed his glasses and looked back at his laptop. "Hope, I gotta go. Can you send over your report later? Great, thanks. Talk to you then."

He closed the laptop and held his glasses in one hand casually. "Hi," he said. "Want some breakfast?"

"Is there coffee?" Bucky asked, edging his way into the room.

"There can be," Steve replied, gesturing to the table. "Come sit down."

Bucky went over and pulled out one of the padded chairs. He flopped into it and blinked a few times.

"Would you like anything to eat?" Steve prompted, pushing a small menu across the table.

"Um..." Bucky stifled a yawn. He glanced at the menu, trying to focus on the swirly text on a white background. He was dyslexic, and swirly text was a pain to read. Especially when he was tired.

Bucky set the menu down and rubbed his eyes. "I don't know. I'm not great in the mornings, by the way."

Steve watched him for a moment, then lifted his wrist to check his very expensive watch. "It's nearly two in the afternoon," he commented, sounding amused.

"It's morning for me," Bucky said. "How are you even awake?" He looked at Steve, squinting. "Did you sleep at all?"

Steve smiled back at him, looking all suave and put together. But now Bucky was seeing Steve in daylight for the first time, he did notice tell tale dark circles under his eyes.

Not that it made Steve any less handsome, but Bucky figured he hadn't been kidding about the insomnia.

"I slept alright, actually," Steve replied. "By the way, did you know you talk in your sleep?"

"Oh, God," Bucky groaned, placing both hands over his face. "Yeah, so I'm told."

Steve chuckled, and it sounded like he was in a good mood. "It wasn't anything I could make out, but you had a proper conversation going on for a couple minutes."

Bucky laughed, embarrassed but relieved Steve wasn't mad at him. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Steve assured him, putting his glasses back on as he picked up the menu. "So, coffee? What sort?"

"Any with caffeine," Bucky said. "And cream and sugar."

"I may as well order lunch," Steve mused. "Do you have any special diet or allergies?"

"Um, no, anything's fine," Bucky said. "Please don't order seafood, I don't think I could take the smell right now."

Steve laughed lightly. "No problem. What about a buffet? Then you can pick and choose what you want when it arrives?"

Bucky shrugged. "Okay."

Steve picked up his phone and made the call to room service, ordering a bunch of stuff and, most importantly, the coffee.

Bucky waited, half dozing off at the table, but when Steve was done and he set his phone back down, Bucky snuck a glance at it. He was hoping to see something personal as a background or lockscreen, but instead the picture was some generic background that told him absolutely nothing about Steve's personal life.

Steve pushed a glass of water under Bucky's nose. "Drink this."

Bucky did as he was told, glugging the water down.

"Hungover?" Steve asked, making Bucky smile as he wiped his mouth.

"Maybe," Bucky said, then felt guilty. "Sorry."

"No need to apologise," Steve said, smiling warmly. "You'll feel better after some food."

"And coffee," Bucky said.

"Drink plenty of water, too, Bucky," Steve told him.

"Yes, daddy," Bucky replied, before he could stop himself. He shot a glance at Steve to check his reaction. Some guys didn't want to play around the next morning, and that was fine. But Steve only smiled and reached a hand under the table, finding the gap in Bucky's robe and placing his warm hand on Bucky's bare thigh.

"Good boy," Steve said.

  
  


~~

  
  


When room service arrived with the brunch, Bucky didn't realise Steve had ordered the _entire_ contents of the kitchen.

He watched in awe as cart after cart was wheeled into the room and the fine china dishes were loaded onto the table.

Good thing the table was long, Bucky thought, looking at the spread in front of him.

He felt a little weird at first, sitting there in a bathrobe for everyone to see, but the waitstaff barely looked twice at him. They deposited the dishes in record time, cleared away what must've been Steve's breakfast from the table, and were gone in a flash.

Steve remained seated, checking his phone, but he did set it down to thank the staff before they left, saying something about adding their tip to the bill.

Bucky was busy organising his coffee, adding sugar and cream to the cup that'd been poured for him.

When they were alone, Steve pushed a couple small plates in front of Bucky, telling him to try and eat. There were pastries and mini bagels, and after his first chug of coffee Bucky picked a tiny bagel to eat.

Steve seemed satisfied by that, and started on his own dish, seared chicken with seasoned vegetables. It looked pretty tempting, Bucky thought, gazing at Steve as he ate. Maybe he'd eat more later. Bucky was kind of hoping Steve would want to fuck him first.

"Good?" Steve asked, checking on him.

Bucky finished his bagel. "Uh huh. Ten out of ten."

Steve smiled in amusement. "Would you like to rate another service the hotel offers?"

Bucky lifted his mug to hide his smile. "And what service would that be?" he asked, expecting Steve to hit on him.

"The personal shopper experience," Steve replied, as Bucky lowered his mug in surprise.

"Oh. What's that?"

"Shopping," Steve said. "You know, from stores. Clothes."

"Oh, right." Bucky made a face. "Um, so... I pay for it?"

"No, no." Steve smiled. "I'll put it on my bill. But if you test it out for me, you can keep whatever you like."

"Um, okay, sure," Bucky said easily. He didn't have a clue what this would entail. If he ended up with some free shampoo from the hotel, then fine. Why not?

"Great." Steve brought out a tablet and tapped it a few times. "It's all via an app, as the suite comes with a tablet. If you wouldn't mind going through the app, let me know what you think."

"Like a secret shopper," Bucky said, as Steve laid the tablet in front of Bucky.

"That's right," Steve told him. "Take your time. I just gotta check some emails."

"Okay." Bucky was busy staring at the screen, trying to read the words printed there.

Reading was a struggle for him, but often he found apps fairly easy to navigate, especially if there was multiple choices already laid out. All he had to do was pick one and if he picked wrong, well, Steve wouldn't know. So Bucky followed the instructions to fill in the fields question by question: what was his age bracket, and his favorite fashion styles, what color pallets did he like, was he a spring, summer, autumn or winter (definitely winter, Bucky thought), what textures did he prefer, what statement did he want to make, and so on.

Bucky was intrigued, and tapped to fill in the quiz. When he'd completed it, the screen said thank you for using the personal shopper, with an estimated arrival time of four hours.

Bucky slid the tablet back to Steve. "Finished."

Steve gave him a smile, glasses back on as he used the laptop. "How was it?"

"Yeah, straightforward," Bucky said. "I don't know what it's bringing me, though?"

Steve's smile grew. "I chose that part already. You'll see what it arrives."

"Exciting!" Bucky wriggled in his seat. "So, what do we do until then?"

"Well," Steve said, looking Bucky over with obvious intent, "I have some ideas."

  
  



	5. I hear the music, close my eyes, feel the rhythm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick PSA:
> 
> Americans eligible to vote, please do so now! 6 days left, and not enough time to return via the mail, you need to do it in person now. check the website "iwillvote.com" for checking your state's info.
> 
> Vote now! Encourage everyone else to vote now too!
> 
> Good luck 
> 
> ~~~~

Steve's first idea was going back to bed.

Bucky was wholly on board with this plan, and was delighted to discover that sober daytime Steve was even more of a boss in bed than last night's Steve had been.

Steve took charge and had Bucky on his back with his legs up, diving right in to eat Bucky's ass like it was desert, getting Bucky close to the edge and teasing him until Bucky was a sobbing mess desperate to come.

That beard was going to leave a burn for sure, but it felt so good on Bucky's sensitive skin that his hands fisted in the sheets as he pushed his hips down onto Steve's mouth for more.

"Oh, fuck, yes," he gasped, getting the rimming of his life.

Next, Steve prepped his ass, taking his time using lube and his fingers to open Bucky up. Bucky groaned with need, begging and whimpering for Steve to fuck him.

"Please," Bucky panted, "I want you in me."

"Please, what?" Steve prompted, three fingers deep in Bucky's ass and grazing his prostate.

Bucky shuddered and gasped. "Please, daddy! Please, fuck me."

"I will, baby," Steve replied, calmly removing his fingers. Bucky lay gasping on the bed as Steve opened a condom and sheathed his cock.

Bucky watched eagerly, eyes drinking in the image of Steve naked. Steve came back and leaned in over him, stealing a quick kiss before he moved into position. Bucky was content to wait and let Steve take the lead, manhandle him a bit. Bucky loved being manhandled.

Steve pushed Bucky's legs up, raising his ass off the bed as he aimed his cock at Bucky's hole. Bucky felt the tip nudging at his entrance and he made himself relax to take Steve in.

Steve pushed in and grunted softly. Bucky watched him, watched Steve's face. He bit his lip as the head of Steve's cock breached his entrance, then the shaft followed, slowly filling him up. Bucky gasped from it. Steve was big, and he fit inside Bucky so good. His cock bumped along Bucky's prostate as it pushed inside and Bucky inhaled sharply.

Steve pushed all the way in, and let Bucky catch his breath before he started to move, dragging his cock partway out. He pressed back in firmly, making Bucky grunt.

"You like that, sweetheart?" Steve rasped, fucking him slow. "You like that cock?"

Bucky nodded frantically, a moan escaping his lips.

"I can't hear you," Steve said, pulling out and pushing back in more forcefully. Bucky cried out, loving the feel of Steve inside him.

"You like my cock?" Steve repeated, shoving it firmly into Bucky.

"Yes," Bucky gasped. "Yes, daddy!"

"Good boy," Steve told him, and quickened his pace. "Gonna fuck you so good."

Buck could only cry out as Steve pounded him into the mattress. He hung onto the bedsheets, his own hard cock bouncing between his legs. Orgasm was just around the corner, Bucky could feel it.

Then Steve slowed down and shifted position, laying down on Bucky and capturing his mouth in a kiss.

Bucky groaned into Steve's mouth, as Steve's hips kept moving but at a slower pace, driving his cock in and out of Bucky agonisingly slow. Steve reached up and took a hold of Bucky's wrists, pinning them on the bed.

Bucky could've come just from that, and he whined at being kept on the edge. His cock was rock hard, and Steve's abs rubbing against it felt amazing, spreading the pre-come around.

"You okay?" Steve breathed against his lips.

Bucky nodded. Yes, he was more than okay. Words weren't exactly forthcoming, though. Steve continued to fuck him slowly, so Bucky whined and hitched his legs up, trying to urge Steve faster.

"What do you want, baby?" Steve asked, grinning down at him.

"Fuck me," Bucky gasped, straining against Steve's hold. He loved being held down like this.

"I am fucking you," Steve pointed out, and Bucky whined again.

"Please," he begged. "Please, daddy, make me come. Please."

"Since you asked so nice," Steve said, and pulled away.

Bucky whined at the loss when Steve pulled his dick out, then he flipped Bucky over and got him on his hands and knees. Steve got behind him and held onto Bucky's hips.

"I want you to come for me, sweetheart," Steve told him, as his cock pressed against Bucky's hole.

Bucky nodded vigorously. Yes, he was ready to come. He pushed his ass down onto Steve's cock, opening himself up as Steve entered him again. Steve's hands clamped down on Bucky's hips and he started pounding Bucky's ass hard.

Bucky clutched at the mattress for balance, his hair hanging in his face as Steve fucked him from behind. Steve was really going for it, and this way felt so raw and animalistic. Bucky gasped and pushed back into Steve's thrusts, loving the intensity.

Steve reached round and caught Bucky's hard dick in his hand, and started jerking him off in time to his thrusts.

That did it for Bucky and he came hard, spilling over Steve's hand and the bed. He cried out, rocked by his orgasm as Steve railed his ass.

Steve followed soon after, slamming into Bucky a couple more times before losing his steady rhythm and crying out too. His fingers dug into the meat of Bucky's hips, nails scratching his skin.

Bucky could only just keep himself up on his hands, gasping for breath. Then he jerked in surprise when Steve slapped a hand over his ass.

"Good boy," he praised, panting.

Bucky grinned to himself. "Thank you, daddy."

They collapsed into bed together to catch their breath.

Bucky gazed up at the ceiling, completely blown away. This had to be the best lay of his life, without a doubt.

He stole a glance over at Steve, lying on his back and panting. Bucky wondered if he was Steve's best lay, or... was he just a regular lay?

Okay, he was ruining his own afterglow with that line of thinking. Bucky forced the intrusive thoughts away, and shifted onto his side to face Steve.

"So," he said, propping his head up with his hand and flashing his best smile. "That was pretty awesome."

Steve grinned happily, still panting. "Stick around for the repeat performance... in a few minutes." He laughed at himself.

Bucky grinned back at him. "I'm not going anywhere."

  
  


~~

  
  


After lots more sex, some napping, and more sex, Steve woke Bucky up and told him to get ready for his personal shopping experience.

Bucky was pretty worn out, but he did as Steve asked and got himself into a shower.

Steve had already showered and dressed, looking cool and laid back in tailored pants and an open collar shirt.

Bucky diligently showered, washing his hair this time. He stood under the hot spray of water and sighed happily. Why couldn't all days be like this, he wondered absently. Maybe if he asked real nice, Steve would adopt him or something.

Bucky snorted to himself under the water. "In your dreams, Barnes," he muttered, as he rinsed himself clean.

He got out of the shower and towelled off, brushing his hair gently and twisting it up with a clip. Next, Bucky shaved his face and used some of the hotel's expensive looking aftershave.

There was also a small bottle of Boss cologne, and Bucky picked up the bottle to see if it was the scent Steve used. Yep, smelled like Steve.

"Like a boss," Bucky snickered to himself, finishing up in the bathroom. He decided to get dressed properly, if this personal shopping thing involved other people. Bucky wasn't exactly sure but he didn't want to be in a robe if that was the case.

He put on his sweatpants and a clean tank top, and figured that was presentable. He exited the bathroom and went to find Steve.

It was early evening, and outside the sky was turning dark as the city lights came on. Bucky found Steve in one of the bigger lounges, sitting in a chair with his glasses on again as he did something on a tablet. He looked up when Bucky approached, giving him a warm smile.

"Ready?" he asked.

Bucky nodded. "Uh huh. What do I do?"

"Make yourself comfortable," Steve told him. "They should be here soon. I'm tracking their progress on the app."

"Oh, yeah?" Bucky walked behind Steve's chair to see the screen, but he lost interest in looking at the app in favor of leaning down to whisper in Steve's ear, "Thank you for spoiling me."

Steve turned his head to smile at him, blue eyes finding Bucky's. "You're welcome, sweetheart."

Bucky smiled back, and now that he had Steve's full attention he straightened up and did his best seductive walk across the room, looking over his shoulder to check if Steve was watching.

He was, and Bucky was thrilled. He also kind of wished they could be alone, but if Steve wanted him to test out this shopping thing, then he would.

Bucky found a chair to sit on and he lounged on it. Despite having such a vigorous workout earlier, Bucky was getting his energy back and started to feel restless.

Luckily he didn't have long to wait before Steve announced that the personal shopper was here, and the suite's elevator pinged softly.

Bucky expected one person, maybe a couple bags. His eyes went wide as multiple staff members wheeled in rail after rail after rail of clothes, bags, boxes, all from designer boutiques and only some names Bucky recognised: Dior, Prada, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent.

Bucky made a little shocked noise in his throat before he could stop himself.

One staff member in a dark suit started talking almost immediately, greeting Steve as Mr. Rogers and talking a mile a minute about the shopping order.

Steve remained in his chair, smiling pleasantly. "Hi, Luis. You're actually shopping for Bucky, here." He gestured over to Bucky, and then Luis was pouncing on him, talking about the clothes.

"I know you selected winter, sir," Luis said excitedly, "but I took the liberty of injecting a touch of floral to the choices. Winter flowers, if you will. We got you some beautiful and very exclusive designs that aren't even on the shelves, yet. They'll be on the catwalks this fall. Would you like to see?"

"Um, sure," Bucky said, somewhat overwhelmed. He stood up and walked in between the clothes rails, eyes roving over all that was on offer.

The hotel staff who'd wheeled them in were now leaving, filing out the door silently and leaving Luis behind.

"Over here we have outdoor wear for colder weather," Luis explained. "Some very nice overcoats here, and I also chose hats. Now I see you have long hair, sir, I think the hats would be a wonderful choice for you."

Bucky shrugged. "Sure, I like hats."

"Excellent, sir," Luis went on, gesturing at the next set of rails. "Evening wear, fine dining and also some more casual outfits. I've paired up some suggestions for you already, but if you want more ideas they're in the app, or I can stay and assist you getting dressed."

"Um, oh...?" Bucky glanced over to Steve, having to peer around a clothes rail. "What shall I do?"

Steve smiled at him. "Whatever you want to do."

"Um..." Bucky wasn't sure. Well, he could dress himself, sure. "Maybe," he said to Luis, "if you just show me the ones you picked and I can take it from there?"

"No problem, sir," Luis said easily, and showed Bucky to a couple of rails. "I suggest starting with these outfits first. The exclusive floral shirts I mentioned?" Luis whisked a couple shirts off the rail and presented them to Bucky.

"Oooh," Bucky said, reaching out to touch. "They're so soft."

"Yes, sir, very good quality silk," Luis informed him.

"Silk, huh."

"There are some fine cotton ones if you prefer." Luis whisked those shirts away and picked out some more.

A black shirt with little white flowers on it caught Bucky's eye first. "This one's nice," he said.

Luis handed it over with a smile. "An excellent choice. If I may suggest, sir, pairing the shirt with these selection of pants..."

Bucky watched with interest as Luis picked out a pair of black distressed jeans, then some tailored pants and a very shiny belt.

"Yeah, those look great," Bucky agreed. "Um, thanks a lot."

"You're very welcome, sir." Luis beamed at him. "Do you require further assistance or shall I leave you to try on the outfits?"

"Um, yeah, I think I'll do that," Bucky said, smiling shyly. "I can try 'em on."

"As you wish, sir," Luis replied.

Steve came over then, smiling at Luis. "Nice work, Luis," he commented. "Why don't you come by again tomorrow? I'm sure Bucky will have made his choices by then, and you can arrange the gift wrapping for him."

"Of course, Mr. Rogers," Luis said. "You can book in with me via the app, or please have reception give me a call and I'll make you my top priority."

"I'll book it in," Steve said, walking Luis to the door. "Thank you again."

"Yeah, thanks!" Bucky called after him, still very overwhelmed. He gazed around at all the clothes, and the expensive shirt in his hands. Tentatively, he checked the label on it.

An eight hundred dollar shirt.

Bucky's eyes nearly fell out. "Jesus Christ," he murmured under his breath. He carefully replaced the shirt on the correct rail.

Steve strolled back into the lounge, and now they were all alone he flashed a knowing smile at Bucky. "So?" he asked.

Bucky blinked at him. "What?"

"How's the experience so far?" Steve prompted.

Overwhelming, Bucky thought, but he schooled his features and made himself nod in a considering manner. "Great, yeah. Fine. Luis seems nice."

Steve grinned at that. "Luis is wonderful. He has a great eye for fashion, as you can see."

"Yeah," Bucky agreed. He shifted from foot to foot, restless but unsure what to do with all the clothes.

"Are you gonna try them on?" Steve asked.

Bucky looked at him. It seemed like Steve wanted him to. Bucky was anxious he was going to tear or rip something, and just one item of clothing here was like a week's worth of wages to him.

"Um, if you want...?" he hedged.

"Yeah, try some on." Steve gave him an encouraging smile, then went over to a decorative panel at the wall. "Here's a mirror." He pulled back the panels, revealing a large mirror behind.

"Ooh, a surprise magic mirror," Bucky teased. "So, uh... what should I try on first?"

"Whatever you want to try," Steve said, gesturing at the many rails. "You don't want to disappoint Luis." He strolled back to his chair, sat down and got comfortable, like he was ready to watch.

Oh, Bucky understood now.

He smiled at Steve. "Alright," he said, and crossed his arms to grab the hem of his tank top. He pulled it off slowly, giving Steve a show.

Getting dressed and undressed for someone else's pleasure was something Bucky was familiar with, and now he felt more at ease.

Next, Bucky pushed the sweats down his hips, turning his back to Steve and giving him a great view of his ass as he bent down to push to the pants to his ankles. Bucky stepped out of the legs one by one, confident and throwing a sassy look over his shoulder.

Steve was watching him with a small, pleased smile on his face.

So far, so good.

Bucky wasn't wearing underwear, but he'd spotted a whole rack of underwear, socks and small items packed under one of the rails. He picked out a packet of Calvin Klein shorts, and opened it up. "You're gonna have to buy me these, at least," he teased, "because I'm putting them on first. You can't not wear underwear if you're trying on clothes, right?"

Steve chuckled, relaxed in his chair as he watched. "That's very true. And I'm happy to buy whatever you want from here."

Bucky made a small squeak, still not believing his good luck. He decided to carry on with the show: he put on the underwear, making a show of it for Steve and running his hands over his ass. Bucky half turned to look at him. "Isn't all this stuff really expensive, though?"

Steve shook his head minutely. "Pick anything you want, Bucky. I want to spoil you."

Bucky's eyes immediately went to the shirt with white flowers. "Well... I kinda like this?"

"Try it on," Steve told him.

Bucky did as he was told, and very carefully put on the shirt. It fit perfectly. Bucky smoothed his hands over the material, and noticed it was actually transparent.

"Huh," he said, setting his hands on his hips. "You can totally see my nipples in this shirt."

Steve grinned slyly. "Yes, I can."

Bucky bit back a smile, and went to find more things to try on. If Steve wanted to watch, Bucky was going to give him a damn good show.

  
  



	6. Wrap around, take a hold of my heart

After Bucky was done trying on a few dozen outfits, they had a late dinner together in the dining room.

Over the main course Steve said, "So, have you got an agent?"

Bucky paused mid chew, convinced he'd misheard. He looked at Steve, and Steve smiled back at him like he'd asked a perfectly reasonable question.

"Mmphf?" Bucky mumbled around his food.

"An agent," Steve repeated. "For acting jobs. You mentioned last night in the hot tub?"

Oh, that's right, Bucky remembered. Drunk Bucky had blurted out that he was a wannabe actor.

Great.

Bucky swallowed his mouthful and slipped into actor mode: he faked a smile, nodded and said, "Oh, right. Yeah, I got an agent." Then he quickly went back to his food, shovelling a forkful into his mouth.

"What's the name of the agency?" Steve asked.

Bucky chewed on his food, stalling, and made a few mumbles as he shrugged a shoulder.

"You can't remember the name of your agent?" Steve said, sounding amused. He was watching Bucky closely, and Bucky looked away.

"I'm crap with names," he replied, after swallowing his food down. "I switched agents recently, it's something like, Lydia's..."

Steve didn't reply straight away, and when Bucky glanced over he was still watching closely. Steve smiled at him. "I'm not sure I know Lydia's. I only ask because a friend of mine runs an acting agency here in New York. They're very reputable. I'd be happy to make a call."

Bucky didn't know what to say. On the one hand, he knew he'd need a new agent if he ever wanted to get anywhere with his acting career. And on the other hand, his track record with agents and auditions was so abysmal that he wasn't sure he wanted to put himself through all that stress again.

Still, he supposed he shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

He nodded, and smiled back at Steve. "Okay," he said. "That'd be cool."

Steve looked pleased. "I'll give them a call on Monday when I'm back at work proper."

Bucky nodded. "Sure. You, uh, getting up early tomorrow?"

"Sadly, yes." Steve laughed.

"You want me to clear out tonight?" Bucky asked.

"You can stay if you want," Steve said. "I'd like that. Besides, Luis still has to come back and bag up your clothes. I've already booked him in for noon tomorrow."

"Noon?"

"Yes." Steve grinned. "I noticed you like to sleep in."

Bucky blushed, and smiled shyly. "Sorry. Night shifts, you know."

"It's fine." Steve took a small sip of his wine. "You can order room service for your breakfast, then Luis will come and organise your clothes you want to take home."

"Uh, sure." Bucky had a vision of himself struggling with many bags into an Uber. He figured it was worth it for all the expensive goods, half of which he planned to sell on eBay as soon as he got home.

"So... you want me to stay tonight?" he asked, looking at Steve.

"Only if you want to," Steve said sincerely.

"Duh," Bucky laughed, "of course I _want_ to."

Steve gave him a big, happy smile in reply. "Wonderful."

They retired to the cozy lounge to watch the enormous TV and snuggle on the couch. Steve let Bucky have control of the remote, and Bucky flicked around the many channels looking for something to watch.

"What do you normally watch?" he asked Steve, sitting sideways so he could drape his legs over Steve's lap.

Steve rested his hand on Bucky's leg, and it felt nice, the closeness.

"I have to admit, I don't watch a lot of TV," Steve said. He was wearing his glasses again, which Bucky loved.

"You gotta watch some," Bucky said.

Steve made a _nope_ face, shaking his head. "If I'm on a plane and it shows a movie, I might watch it, but other than that, not really."

"Wow, okay." Bucky couldn't understand that at all: he'd been virtually glued to the TV growing up, watching anything from animated shows to R rated movies.

"What made you want to become an actor?" Steve asked.

Oh, great, back to that, Bucky thought.

"Um," he said, a wave of shyness coming over him, "I don't know. It seemed fun."

"Fun? Looks like hard work to me," Steve quipped, and Bucky cracked a smile.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Can be."

Steve was quiet a moment. Bucky felt Steve's eyes on him, and felt his cheeks start to blush. Just when Bucky thought Steve would continue the line of questioning, he asked, "So what's your favorite thing to watch?"

Bucky looked at him in surprise. "Huh? Like, movies?"

"Yeah, movies, TV shows." Steve smiled kindly. "What's your favorite?"

"Both," Bucky said, making Steve chuckle.

"And the genre?" he asked.

"Well..." Bucky's blush deepened. "Don't laugh, but... I like rom coms."

"Rom coms?"

"Like, romantic comedies. Don't get me wrong," Bucky babbled, "I like all genres, action, drama, whatever. But you know, there's something about rom coms. I grew up watching my older sister's collection and got hooked."

"Ah, I see." Steve nodded slowly. "Why don't you go ahead and see if there's a movie you want to watch? We can watch it together."

"Okay," Bucky said quietly, heart thumping away. He selected the menu with the remote, and started scrolling through the in-house library of movies.

So much choice, so little time. Bucky was just thrilled that Steve wanted to watch a corny movie with him.

"Ooh, Notting Hill?" Bucky suggested, looking to Steve. "Have you seen it?"

"No, but I remember it coming out," Steve replied.

Because Steve was old, Bucky thought with a smirk. "Well, it's really good! It's kind of sweet, and real funny. They're in England so it's all, like, so different."

"Sure," Steve said easily, a smile on his face. "I've stayed in England, actually."

"Yeah? What's it like?"

"Well, put on the movie," Steve replied, "and I'll tell you if it's accurate."

Bucky selected Notting Hill and they watched the movie.

And, because he was a hopeless dork, Bucky kept sneaking glances at Steve to check his reaction, especially nearing the end during the love confessions scenes.

But Steve was a hard read.

Maybe it was just the sort of person he was, Bucky reasoned, working in business or whatever. Maybe Steve had grown used to not showing his emotions, like a lot of men did.

Bucky was the total opposite, but he tried to reign himself in while watching the movie. It was hard, but he did try. If he'd been at home he would've been flinging himself all over the couch at the dramatic parts while crying with several tissues while simultaneously yelling at the TV.

"So?" Bucky pressed when it was over. "Is London actually like that?"

Steve nodded in consideration. "Yeah, I'd say so. This is a British film, though, so they're bound to be accurate."

"What did people there make of your American accent?" Bucky asked, while Steve gave him a cryptic smile in return. "You, um, wanna watch another movie?"

Steve moved his hand, placing it onto Bucky's leg and gave him a knowing smile. "Or, we could have an early night?"

Bucky of course said yes to that offer.

A hard round of boning from Steve was exactly what Bucky needed after an emotional movie, and Steve didn't disappoint. Bucky clung onto Steve while he fucked Bucky into the mattress, and after they lay together cuddling.

Bucky liked cuddling. He also liked when Steve was cuddly, and he seemed to be more cuddly now than he'd been last night.

It was just a shame that this was probably their last night together, Bucky thought as he drifted off to sleep in Steve's arms.

  
  


~~~

  
  


Steve had to be some sort of ninja, Bucky figured, as he hadn't woken up at all when Steve left.

Then again, Bucky did sleep heavily.

He was kind of bummed he hadn't got to say goodbye to Steve. The bed was empty when Bucky woke, at around nine AM.

It felt a bit weird, at first, being in Steve's suite on his own, but Bucky thought he may as well make the most of it. He jumped in the shower first, using all the hotel's nice smelling washes and lotions. Then he towelled off and combed his wet hair, putting on Steve's bathrobe again.

Nosing through the cabinets, Bucky made an exciting discovery: a head towel for hair, presumably meant for women to use in the shower. Bucky wasn't entirely sure, but he opened the packet and put his hair up with it, wrapping it around his head.

Now he looked like an old timey movie starlet ready to lounge by the pool. Excellent. Bucky found his sunglasses and went out onto the balcony to take some selfies against the New York skyline, and posted them to his Instagram page along with the caption: _Just rolled out of bed! #I woke up like this._

The first like was from Pietro, who commented: _I hate you sm rn_.

Bucky laughed, loud enough to scare away a couple pigeons on a nearby roof.

Bucky still had a couple hours before Luis arrived, so he ordered room service for himself. While he waited, he took a few more selfies around the suite, because it was fun and he was a dork.

When room service arrived, Bucky decided to have it outside on the balcony. It was breezy, but Bucky was determined to live the rich life while he could. He opened video chat and called his roommate, Kamala.

She would either be at her lectures at NYU, or at home. When she answered, Bucky was excited to see she was at home. That meant they could chat longer.

Kamala squinted into the camera. "Where are you?" she demanded.

"I'm at The Apollo, darling," Bucky replied, doing his best Samantha Jones impression. "Brunch on the balcony, you know how it is!"

Kamala's mouth dropped open and she made a face like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Isn't that like, super expensive?"

"If I'd gotten up earlier," Bucky said, "I would've invited you in, but I gotta check out soon."

"Are you there alone?" she asked.

"Nah, I was with some guy," Bucky replied, pushing his sunglasses up onto his head. "He left for work this morning. Are you home? I'll get an Uber and be there at like, one, maybe."

"Yeah, I'll be home," Kamala said.

"Awesome." Bucky grinned. "I have a surprise for you!"

"Are you pregnant?" Kamala deadpanned.

Bucky laughed. "Yes, very! Also, I'm going to order more room service and sneak it home. What do you want?"

"Ooh, everything," Kamala laughed. "But don't get in trouble, Bucky."

"I'm not paying the bill," Bucky said. "I'm gonna make the most of it though. See you soon."

  
  


~~~

  
  


Luis arrived promptly at noon, along with a literal army of staff that began bagging up the clothes and accessories Bucky was taking with him, and setting aside the stuff he hadn't wanted.

Bucky was dressed now, wearing some of the clothes already, because he figured the less there was to carry, the better. He also had on the wide brimmed pimp hat that Luis had said suited him, and Bucky was inclined to agree.

"How are you today, sir?" Luis asked him.

Bucky smiled shyly. "Please call me Bucky. And I'm great, how are you?"

"All good, sir. I mean, Bucky. A beautiful day outside, wonderful customers to assist. It's a great day."

Bucky smiled at Luis's enthusiasm. "It sure is." He looked around at the staff bagging up the clothes. Bucky also had his own bag packed and ready, along with the bags of room service food he'd ordered and asked to be bagged up too. "So, um, should I call myself an Uber now? Or do you have Ubers outside?"

"It's all taken care of," Luis replied, "Mr. Rogers arranged a car to take you and your luggage wherever you need to go."

"Oh." Bucky was surprised, but pleasantly so. "Well, that's awesome."

Bucky didn't actually have to do anything, in that case, so he loitered and chatted with Luis as the staff put all his bags onto luggage racks and wheeled them away.

Luis escorted him downstairs, through reception (which was way busier now in the day time, so Bucky was relieved he was in designer clothes and not in his sweats) and outside to a waiting car.

"Thanks, Luis," Bucky told him. He did genuinely like the guy. Luis said goodbye and saw him safely into the car, explaining that the rest of Bucky's luggage was in another car that would follow.

Awesome, Bucky thought: he had a literal convoy of swag.

He waved goodbye to Luis, gave the driver his home address, and with that he left the hotel. Bucky turned around to gaze out the back window as they drove down the street, watching the hotel disappear from view.

"Till we meet again," he murmured softly, thinking of Steve.

When the cars got to his building, Bucky prayed the elevator was working. He had three entire people carrying all his bags, and he didn't want to make them walk up five floors.

Luckily the elevator was feeling generous that day and had decided to work. Bucky got in with one of the drivers, as there wasn't room for all four of them together, and he texted Kamala telling her to be ready and waiting at the door.

He didn't normally boss her about, but he wanted to make a special entrance today.

Kamala had the door open and a bemused expression on her face as Bucky approached with his driver in tow.

"Um, just put them on the floor, I guess," Bucky told the guy, who started to unload the bags.

"What did you do, rob a store?" Kamala joked, standing there and looking at all the bags.

Bucky grinned, and then the two other guys showed up with the rest of the swag. Kamala's mouth dropped open.

"Jeez, Bucky," she gasped.

The drivers left one by one, and Bucky thanked them at the door. "Are you guys getting tipped?" he asked. "You can add your tip to the bill, right?"

"It's taken care of, sir," one of the guys told him. "Have a good day."

"Cool. You have a good day, too." Bucky closed the door, and then it was just him and Kamala alone with all the loot.

She still looked completely shocked.

Bucky had to laugh, and he broke into his best Julia Roberts impression, saying, "Remember me? I came in yesterday and you wouldn't wait on me." He gestured at all his shopping. "Big mistake! Huge!"

Kamala looked at him with a frown. "What?"

"Pretty Woman?" Bucky prompted, throwing off his hat and sunglasses. "Remember?"

"Oh, right." Kamala looked down at the bags and began to pick her way around the floor to read their labels. "Is this really all designer stuff inside?"

"Uh huh," Bucky said proudly.

"You're never gonna wear all this," she scoffed.

"Watch me!" Bucky laughed. "Anyway, I plan to sell some, and also..." He looked around for the right bags, then picked up two. "These are for you."

Kamala gasped, and reached out with grabby hands. "Best roommate ever!"

"Of course, darling!" Bucky handed them over. "And if you don't like them, sell them."

"Prada? Givenchy? Excuse you, I'm wearing it," Kamala replied.

Bucky smiled. "Awesome." He pushed a few bags aside to get to the couch and sank down onto it. "I'm exhausted."

"I don't need to know the details," Kamala said, opening up a bag and holding up a scarf. "Ooh, pretty! Who bought all this anyway?"

Bucky smiled, thinking of Steve again. "I had a customer at the club. He was loaded, to say the least."

"Wow." Kamala put the scarf around her neck, delving into the next bag. "Is he single?"

"Um... you know what, I don't actually know," Bucky said. "He didn't mention it, and I noticed he had a tan line where a wedding ring could've been, but I never saw any ring."

Kamala gave him a flat look.

Bucky shrugged. "What? He doesn't even live here, K, so I doubt I'll see him again."

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was as far as I'd gotten to with the previous posting! Everything after this chapter is brand new never before seen story, lol. 
> 
> (Yes, it's all completed, I just need to edit the chapters. Also I'm waiting on an art commission of Bucky to go with it. Yay!)


	7. What a feeling, bein's believin'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a bit of Bucky-whump in this chapter, so heads up for light angst! 
> 
> I wasn't going to post anything today but then I thought maybe someone reading this would appreciate a distraction later, so my friends this is for you. Take care of yourselves ❤
> 
> ~~

Bucky was surprised (quietly shocked, even) when Steve called him the next evening.

It was after seven PM, and Bucky had been messing about on his cell while standing in the doorway of the _Gentlemen's Sauna_ next door with Pietro, both of them freezing their balls off in the cold because Clint hadn't shown up yet to open the club.

So when Bucky's screen changed to an incoming call and he saw the name _Steve_ , it took him a moment to get over his surprise.

He swiped the screen to accept the call.

"Bucky?" Steve said, when Bucky didn't immediately answer.

"Yes," Bucky said, trying not to let his teeth chatter. The wind tonight was so cold. "Hey. What's up?"

Had he left something in Steve's hotel suite? Or was Steve planning to visit the club again tonight? (Well, assuming Clint even showed up to open the damn place.)

"Oh, hey!" Steve greeted warmly. "I just had some good news and wanted to tell you right away."

Bucky had no idea what this was about. Good news? His mind pinged to a hundred different fantasies at once, most of which involving Steve becoming his full time sugar daddy.

Bucky cleared his throat softly. "Oh?"

"Yeah," Steve said. "That agent friend of mine called me back. His agency is the best in the city for actors. He's had a cancellation tomorrow for their new faces audition and I told him you could fill that spot."

Bucky felt a wave of dread roil in his stomach, and his mouth dropped open in shock but no sound came out.

"The audition is at noon," Steve went on. "You can make that, right? I'll send a car to your home address and it'll take you right there, so you don't need to worry about transport."

Bucky felt tongue tied. How was he supposed to turn this down? It was a dream opportunity. Steve would think Bucky were an idiot if he said no.

"I, um," Bucky started weakly, "I don't want to put you out?"

"Not at all," Steve replied, sounding cheerful. "I'm happy to help. Nick's great, and if you're serious about acting he's the guy to get with. Trust me."

"Okay," Bucky said, forcing cheer into his voice.

"Great!" Steve said. "Listen, I have to go, I'm at a business dinner and I ducked out to call you. Text me your email address and I'll send over all the info you need for tomorrow. You can show off those new outfits you got!"

Steve sounded so happy about this, Bucky was swept along with his exuberance until the moment the call ended, then the dread came rushing back.

"Shit," Bucky murmured, as he texted Steve his email address.

"What?" Pietro asked. "Is it Clint?"

"No." Bucky groaned softly. "Although, if he doesn't show up soon, I'm gonna head home. I'm so cold."

Darcy arrived next, and Bucky mumbled a hello at her as he was busy reading the email attachment Steve had sent him. The agency, Shield, had a whole list of requirements and a dress code for their auditions.

"Clint's late?" Darcy guessed, coming over to huddle with them in the warm doorway. They were lucky the sauna had the air con unit.

"This is why I never show up early," Pietro whined.

Bucky read a bit more of the agency details; it was mostly the same as other agencies he'd researched before. The basics were, obviously, don't show up late or inebriated to auditions, and bring along references and headshots.

Shit, he thought. He hadn't updated his headshots in forever.

"What's up with you?" Darcy nudged Bucky with her elbow. "You look constipated."

"I'm just thinking," Bucky said, which made both her and Pietro laugh.

"You need to work on your thinking face, sweetheart," she said.

"Thanks," Bucky murmured, still worrying about his portfolio. Should he go home and work on it? But then he'd miss his shift tonight, and Clint would get mad. It would be hard to find someone else to cover him on such short notice.

Although, if Clint didn't show up, Bucky could just go home.

"You alright?" Darcy asked him.

"Yeah." Bucky put on a smile. "All good."

~~

Unfortunately for Bucky, Clint did show up eventually.

Bucky did his shift, finished at two AM and got home close to three. He'd been so tired in the club, thinking he'd crash out as soon as he got home, but annoyingly once he was home he felt wide awake with nervous energy.

He grabbed his laptop and got into bed. He had to pull a recent portfolio of photos together, and make sure it was up to date. His hair was longer now, for a start, so any of the shorter haired photos had to go.

Bucky fiddled about with his files, getting all his headshots and talking head videos together so he could put them onto a spare memory stick.

His professional resumé and printed headshots were in a folder (that he hadn't touched for months), so he rooted around for that in his closet, and once he found that he packed it into his bag, along with the memory stick. He also packed his travel bag of toiletries which had things like face wipes, make-up, a hair brush, hair ties, and other things, just in case.

The next thing he did was Google the Shield agency online to see what sort of demographic they went for.

Their website was very slick and on trend. Bucky stalked each section of the site, making mental notes on which actors they had, what clothes they wore.

Thank God Steve had basically bought him an entire new wardrobe, Bucky thought. He couldn't be showing up to a fancy audition in his regular stuff.

It was now five-thirty AM, and Bucky was still awake.

Steve had already texted him hours ago confirming that Bucky's car would pick him up at ten-thirty tomorrow (well... today now), which would allow plenty of time for traffic and Bucky to find the right room in the building.

Factoring in a shower and getting changed before he left, Bucky barely had four hours to get some sleep.

The thing was, he was very nervous and he wanted to be prepared. He went through all his new clothes, trying to organise a suitable outfit for tomorrow. It was important to look good and memorable, but not so much so that he didn't fit in with whatever demographic the agency had. They'd need to be able to pitch their actors to multiple places, so Bucky had to make himself look appealing to a variety of different markets.

He didn't even know if long hair on men was still in fashion. Some agents had very strong opinions about his hair.

Bucky selected an outfit (dark tailored pants, a _very_ nice shirt, and a fashionable leather jacket) then finally got into his bed. Three hours left. He set his alarm on his phone and left it close by. He didn't want to sleep through it.

~~

Bucky should've anticipated he'd have no problem sleeping through his alarm... because he didn't actually fall asleep.

He was that horrible combination of wired and tired, but there was nothing he could do about that now. At eight-thirty he gave up the pretence of sleeping and got himself into the shower.

Kamala had already left for school, so Bucky had the place to himself. He showed and washed his hair, then he dried his hair meticulously so it wasn't all fluffy and terrible. He was going to wear it up, as agents always wanted to see the face most; hair was an afterthought. He could always take it down if they asked.

Steve sent him a text, making Bucky start in surprise, but it was a short sweet message wishing him good luck today, and asking if he wanted to have dinner with him that night.

Bucky was, again, kind of surprised that Steve was still reaching out to him. He said yes, of course. Like he'd say no. Then he went to the group chat for his fellow strippers and posted a message begging someone to take his shift tonight, stating that he felt sick.

It wasn't exactly a lie; Bucky knew he'd need to catch up on sleep later, not go into the club again at seven to work all night.

Now all he had to do was wait, so he paced the lounge while constantly checking his phone.

Of course, no other dancers would be awake in the morning, because they were all night owls. Bucky just hoped someone would take his shift for tonight, or he'd have to call in sick and Clint would hit the roof.

At ten-thirty, his car arrived. Bucky grabbed his bag and hurried out the door, his heart hammering all the way.

He got inside the warm car, sliding along the black leather seats and inhaling the fresh scent of pine. The driver already had the address Bucky needed, and after a polite hello they set off through the late morning traffic.

Bucky was very grateful he didn't have to make his own way there and risk getting lost. Although, sitting on his own in the car also made him nervous. He got out his phone to anxiety scroll, and saw with relief that somebody in the group chat had agreed to cover his shift tonight.

Thank God, he thought.

Once this audition was over, Bucky would try to get a nap in before he met Steve for dinner later.

Bucky was pleasantly surprised that Steve wanted to see him again so soon. But... maybe the one night stand thing would turn into a one week only thing. Sometimes that happened, a guy would want to hook up for a few days before inevitably ghosting.

Well, Bucky would take what he could get.

The car hit some traffic, but they made good time.

Bucky was dropped off outside the building with a whole half hour to spare. That meant he could find a bathroom (hopefully), have an anxiety pee, then go find wherever it was he was meant to go.

The building was part of an old college that hadn't been made into luxury apartments yet, like the rest of the block. It was small, old, and felt artsy inside, with prints and posters of magazine covers adorning the walls. And there were a lot of very thin and fashionable model types hanging around the halls.

Bucky tried not to feel intimidated, and went to the bathroom first. After he'd done what he needed to do and was washing his hands, Bucky noticed a pale hipster with a crew cut watching him in the mirror.

He looked like a teenager, Bucky thought, suddenly feeling terribly old even though he was himself a young man.

"Cool jacket," the hipster drawled, sounding half asleep.

"Oh, thanks," Bucky replied, a little surprised. "It was a gift."

The hipster nodded then disappeared out the door. Bucky re-did his hair with a comb, pulling it back into a low bun so it was all off his face.

"Showtime," he murmured to himself in the mirror.

In truth, Bucky would've much rather walked out onto a stage in no clothes back at the club than walk into an audition fully dressed. But he didn't want to let Steve down.

Bucky left the bathroom and went to find the room upstairs for the auditions. There was a line already, so he knew he was in the right place. He got in line and made sure his phone was on silent.

A petite woman with dark hair in a severe bun was coming down the line, barking out instructions as she handed out clipboards with paper attached.

When Bucky got his, his heart sank. It was an application form.

Reading and writing was his nemesis, and seriously what was the point of asking people to bring their resumé if they still had to fill out an application form too?

Bucky tried to read the form, eyes darting over the sections of text. Some he was okay with, so he filled those in first. Short words like name, address, those were fine and he recognised them easily. He started writing in his details, slowly and carefully so he didn't misspell anything.

Then came the more difficult sections like references, job history, acting credentials. Bucky's nerves spiked and he felt hot and sweaty. He had to put the clipboard down while he took his jacket off, stuffing it in his bag.

The line was moving slowly down a narrow and cramped hallway. When Bucky leaned out of line to check the destination, he saw an open doorway up ahead which would likely be the audition room.

Bucky hadn't had a serious audition for well over a year.

"Attach your headshot to your completed form," the woman called out.

When Bucky looked around he saw that most people had finished their forms already and were sliding their headshot photos onto their clipboards. Bucky was behind. It was just like school all over again.

He hurried to finish his form, writing _see resumé_ to a couple of sections. There was no point him writing things out and getting it wrong, that would look bad. He rifled through his bag for his folder, and picked a good headshot to include with his form, along with his resumé.

His was the last to be collected by the brunette, and she lifted up his photograph to peer at the form underneath.

"This isn't complete," she barked, as Bucky's blood ran cold.

"That's why I included the resumé," he said, feeling everyone's eyes on him.

"We don't take resumés at this stage," she replied curtly, handing him back his resumé.

Bucky took the paper back, feeling like a school kid who'd flunked his test and was getting reprimanded in front of the class. (It'd happened to him a lot.)

She walked off before Bucky could even ask for his form back to write in more stuff.

"Isn't that Maria Hill?" one of the young hipsters in line whispered. "She was in that movie with Tom Cruise ages ago."

Bucky was barely listening, spacing out as the thud of his heart loud in his own ears. He just had to get through this stupid audition and then he could leave.

The line shuffled along, and the closer they got to the room the more audible the bark of _"Next!"_ became.

Bucky felt faint. He hadn't slept, he felt sick with nerves, and he was sure he was going to fuck this up somehow. If he hadn't already fucked it up by not completing his form.

When his turn came he walked into the room and was instantly blinded by bright lighting. The set up was pretty normal, and Bucky squinted as he walked onto the white marker in the middle of the floor.

There was two cameras on tripods, one facing him directly and another on his left. The professional photographer's lights were all around him, creating silhouettes of the crew of people in the room.

The grumpy brunette woman was there, handing a clipboard to a black guy with an eye patch. He had to be the one in charge, Bucky thought, watching as the guy perused the clipboard.

The brunette handed Bucky a card with a number on it, and told him to look into the front camera and then turn to his side.

This was all pretty standard so far, and at least Bucky knew how to turn.

Once that was done, the card was taken off him and he was asked to state his name to camera, and then smile and laugh. Those were all fine.

Then, the brunette handed him a laminate, and when Bucky looked at the page he saw with horror it was a script. Not just a couple of lines either, but two enormous paragraphs. Bucky glanced up at her, feeling helpless.

"Read to the front camera," she instructed. "Preferably not looking at the script if you can."

They may as well have asked him to perform a magic trick, he thought. It would've been easier than reading.

"Um," he started, glancing down at the page again. Some words he recognised, but the problem was his dyslexia made the words wobble and jump about on the page, so Bucky could never be sure which were real words and which weren't.

He tried to read the page. How long did it take a normal person to read? Bucky tried his best; it was some corny monologue about food. Bucky got a vague impression from the few words he was able to understand, and decided his only option was to wing it.

He took a deep breath, lowered his page and looked at the camera. "Don't get me wrong," he started, affecting a chatty tone, "Eating out is great, but there's nothing quite like making your own food with––"

"Cut," barked the director. "That's not the line."

"I, uh, I did some ad lib," Bucky said, feeling sweat prick his temples.

 _"Next!"_ the director shouted.

"Shall I finish the," Bucky started, before the brunette snatched the laminate from his hands and ushered him off the marker place.

"Thank you," she said blandly, "we'll be in touch."

Like hell they would, Bucky thought, picking up his bag and coat. That had to be, without a doubt, the single worst audition of his life.

He shuffled quietly out the door, wincing slightly as the brunette called _"Next!"_ right beside him. Walking down the hallway past all the other hopefuls queuing up was like a walk of shame.

As soon as Bucky got outside he breathed in the fresh, crisp air and wiped the sweat off his brow with a handkerchief.

He felt sick. Like, really sick.

It was probably just nerves, but now he had to get all the way home without his special car this time.

What a shitty day.

~~

Bucky made his way home an hour later, went straight to his room and crashed out.

Thankfully sleep helped, and probably the lack of it had been what'd made him feel so sick. That, and nerves.

He woke up around six to use the bathroom, and planned to go straight back to sleep because he needed way more than four hours sleep. He took his expensive clothes off, pulled on an old t-shirt and got back into his bed. He checked his phone quickly and saw a message from Steve about when to meet for dinner.

Shit, dinner.

Bucky exhaled tiredly, then wrote out a quick reply. _Raincheck? Sorry, I feel under the weather and need to sleep._

Steve replied swiftly, telling Bucky that was fine and to call him when he woke up later, as he'd be awake.

Bucky had forgotten about Steve and his insomnia. He texted back _OK_ , then turned his phone off and closed his eyes.

When Bucky next woke up, it was after midnight.

"Shit," he muttered, rubbing his eyes.

He hadn't meant to sleep so long. Today had been such a wash out, and now his sleep schedule was a mess.

Not to mention his stomach was rumbling loudly, and Bucky didn't have much food in. He'd have to run to the all night diner or a bodega if he wanted to eat, because Kamala would be mad if he stole her food again.

Would Steve be up? It was only midnight, that wasn't too late. Bucky texted Steve, asking if he was awake.

Steve called him back instantly, and Bucky accepted the call. "Hey," he said groggily.

"Hey," Steve replied. "Are you alright? Feel better?"

"Yeah, a little," Bucky said, keeping his voice low in case Kamala was fast asleep.

"What happened? Are you sick?" Steve asked.

"I don't think so," Bucky said. "I couldn't sleep last night, and today made me nervous so I think it was a combination of that."

"Ah, I see," Steve said gently. "How did it go? If you don't mind my asking."

"Uh, yeah, fine," Bucky lied. "They had a ton of people auditioning, so I doubt I'll get it."

"Want me to put in a good word?" Steve asked.

Bucky cringed as he remembered his audition. "No," he said. "No, it's fine. Thanks, though."

Steve was quiet a moment, then said, "Alright. So what are you doing now?"

"Um, actually I'm deciding where to go eat," Bucky replied, hoping Steve would take the hint.

"Do you want to come here?" Steve suggested. "I can have a car pick you up and we can order room service?"

Bucky grinned happily. "Yeah, that would be awesome."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steeb to the rescue!


	8. I can have it all now I'm dancing for my life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I figured we could use a lil' bit of Steve fixing things, so here we go. 
> 
> ~~~

It was so wonderful to see Steve again, though it'd barely been two days since Bucky had left the hotel with all his new clothes (and a pleasantly sore ass).

And seeing Steve now after the absolute disaster day Bucky'd had with the auditions was just what was needed. As soon as Bucky got up to the penthouse suite and saw Steve, he melted into his open arms and held on tight.

Steve was a great hugger, as it turned out.

After a long embrace, he asked quietly, "Everything alright?"

"Yeah." Bucky pulled away and put on a smile. "Great."

Steve's brows scrunched with concern, and he put a hand around Bucky's shoulders to guide him into the dining area. "Let's get you some dinner," he said.

"Technically my lunch," Bucky replied, thinking back. "Or, maybe breakfast?"

"That's probably why you felt sick," Steve told him, leading Bucky to a chair.

Bucky sat down and gazed at all of the plates in front of him covered with the fancy silver tops. Steve lifted a few away, revealing an array of cooked and cold food dishes.

As soon as the smell hit Bucky's nose, his stomach rumbled noisily.

"I heard that." Steve chuckled. "C'mon. Eat up. There's plenty here."

"Yessir," Bucky quipped, and pulled a plate of cheese and meat slices toward him. There was a basked of fresh bread rolls, and Bucky grabbed a few of those too.

As he ate, he watched Steve organise the spread on the table, setting all the silver tops onto the room service cart. Bucky noticed the bottle of champagne on ice, and the empty flutes waiting.

What he needed was a drink, and to forget the earlier parts of the day had ever happened. Bucky had brought his overnight bag along, packed with the stuff he needed for tomorrow night's shift so he wouldn't have to rush home before going into work. He hoped Steve wanted him to stay over.

"Are we opening the champagne?" Bucky asked.

Steve looked up at him and smiled wryly. "Are you sure you won't feel unwell?"

"What? No." Bucky huffed, still shoving food in his mouth. "I'm fine."

"How are you with orange juice?" Steve asked, taking up the two flutes.

"Um, all good?"

"Then we'll have mimosas," he said, taking the jug of fresh juice and pouring some into each glass. Next he opened the champagne bottle, easing the cork out with skill.

Bucky watched, quietly entranced by Steve pouring out the drinks and waiting on him.

"Here." Steve offered Bucky his mimosa, then raised his own glass. "Here's to getting your call back."

Bucky wanted to slide under the table at that remark, but he plastered on a smile and raised his glass to toast. "Yeah, thanks," he murmured, then took a big sip.

It tasted nice. Bucky hadn't had a mimosa in ages.

"So," Steve said, sitting opposite Bucky, "how was the audition?"

Oh, God, Bucky thought. He just wanted to get off this subject.

"Um, fine," he said, his throat going dry. He finished off his mimosa quickly.

"I've sat in on a few auditions myself," Steve said conversationally, as he started on a side salad. "When we've had to rebrand over the years. That's how I met Nick initially."

Bucky wasn't sure who Nick was, maybe that scary dude with the eye patch?

"You have to stand in front of all those bright lights?" Steve asked, looking up to smile at Bucky. "Read out random lines?"

Bucky made himself smile back, nodding his head. He continued to shove food into his mouth as a way of avoiding talking.

"Having an agent is great," Steve went on. "Once you're on the agency, this guy I know is casting for a movie soon. Period piece, so I'm sure they'd want guys with long hair like you."

Bucky swallowed his mouthful of food. Period themes were his nemesis; so many lines, so many long words that Bucky had trouble reading.

He hummed absently, wondering what he could say to get Steve off this.

"I, um, I don't think I was a good fit for the agency," he tried.

"Oh?" Steve's eyebrows flicked up in surprise. "How so?"

Bucky tried to shrug it off. "Just a feeling I got. Anyway, thanks for getting me the slot."

"It's no problem." Steve sipped at his drink thoughtfully. "You don't technically need an agent for me to contact my friend about that period movie. I can give him a call tomorrow."

" _No,_ " Bucky burst out, then immediately felt embarrassed. "I mean, please. It's fine." He rubbed a hand over his face, glancing up at Steve to see his reaction.

Steve looked mildly surprised, watching Bucky closely. "Okay," he said softly. "No, huh?"

Bucky tried to laugh it off. "I'm fine, really. Thanks, but no more auditions."

Steve was quiet, and Bucky fretted that his little outburst had ruined the evening.

"Sorry," he murmured.

Steve calmly wiped his mouth with a napkin then got up from the table. Bucky was sure Steve was about to pick him up by his ear and throw him out, but Steve came around the table and pulled out the chair beside Bucky. He sat on it side-on, so he was facing him.

"Hey," he said gently. "It's okay. You wanna tell me what's really going on?"

Bucky hung his head, embarrassed, and poked at his food with a fork. "I just don't want any more auditions," he mumbled.

He felt like a brat right now, but he'd barely admitted this to himself let alone anyone else, so it was hard to talk about.

"Okay," Steve replied, still calm and gentle. "Can you tell me why?"

Bucky shrugged, as he tried to think up a decent excuse for all this.

"Is it nerves?" Steve asked. "Everyone gets cold feet, Bucky. But if this is your dream, then––"

"They were mean to me," Bucky blurted out.

Steve was quiet a beat before repeating, "They were _mean_ to you?"

Bucky nodded, still looking down at his plate.

Jeez, this was so embarrassing.

"Why were they mean to you?" Steve asked, sounding bewildered.

"I can't read lines," Bucky mumbled.

"You can't what?" Steve leaned in closer. "I can't hear you."

Bucky inhaled to steady himself, then spoke louder. "I can't read lines," he said, as the humiliation set in all over again. "I can't read. I'm dyslexic. It ruins all my auditions so I just stopped going. I can't read lines, I can't fill in their forms. I'm useless."

"Hey, now," Steve said firmly. "Don't say that, Bucky. That's not true. I'm sorry, I wish you'd told me sooner." Steve sighed, and his hand came to rest on Bucky's shoulder, rubbing in reassuring circles. "So it's reading and writing that's the issue here?"

Bucky nodded.

"And if that wasn't an issue, you'd still like to do acting?"

Bucky exhaled a wry huff of air. "Yeah, but I can't, can I? I can't do the one thing required, which is read lines."

"Okay, just hold on a moment." Steve stood, walking back around the table.

Bucky watched curiously as Steve picked up his phone, tapped a couple times then put it to his ear. "Who are you calling?" he asked. "It's after one in the morning."

"Not in L.A." Steve shot a smile at him. "Oh, hey," he said, as whoever it was must've accepted his call. "Hey, Carol. Are you well? Great, glad to hear it... Yeah, I know, but I have a favor to ask..."

Bucky's eyes went wide. Steve wasn't setting up another audition, was he?

"I need you to work your magic," Steve was saying, grinning at Bucky. "Yeah, perfect. Should I come to you, or...? Oh, she's in the city? Well, that would be easier, sure. I thought you'd all be out in L.A. Okay, great..."

Bucky frowned in confusion as the conversation went on. When Steve eventually said goodbye to whoever _Carol_ was, he looked at Bucky with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"Are you free tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yeah," Bucky said dubiously. "Why?"

"I'm going to take you to meet Carol's wife, Maria," Steve said. "I think you'll like her."

~~

Bucky stayed over, just as he'd hoped.

And after two rounds of vigorous love-making, he was fast asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, sleeping soundly.

When Steve woke him in the morning, Bucky was still sleepy and not at all on board with being woken up.

Being woken up for more sex, yes, he would've been okay with that, but Steve was already up and dressed when he started poking Bucky to get up.

"We have a car coming at noon," Steve told him, patting Bucky's bare ass. "Go take a shower."

Bucky grumbled, looking over to the clock on the night stand. It was a quarter to eleven. Bucky normally didn't rise before midday, especially if he was working.

"Bucky," Steve said firmly, "shower."

"Alright." Bucky yawned, dragging himself from the nice warm covers. He rubbed at his eyes as he watched Steve stride out of the room. "Aren't you working today?"

"Later!" he called back. "Shower! Now!"

"Sir, yessir," Bucky murmured, and trudged his way into the bathroom.

He hadn't prepared to wash his hair but it was probably better to wash it. Bucky got under the soft spray of water in the shower cubicle and wet his hair first.

He still had no idea what was happening today, besides meeting Steve's friend's wife, or something. He figured it was to do with an audition, and Bucky wasn't really in the mood for it.

He tried to be quick in the shower, washing himself then stepping out to dry off. There was a small hairdryer in the bathroom, and Bucky dried his hair while he wore Steve's white robe.

Steve poked his head into the bathroom, clearly trying to hurry Bucky along. "Are you nearly ready?" he asked, as Bucky switched off the dryer.

"Sorta?" Bucky yawned again as he gathered his hair up into a pony. "This is a lot of hair, you know."

Steve checked his watch. "We have twenty-five minutes before we get our car."

"That's plenty of time," Bucky told him.

"You haven't eaten breakfast," Steve said.

"I rarely eat breakfast," Bucky said, which had Steve looking shocked. Bucky laughed at his expression. "I'll be fine. Just need a little coffee."

"Coffee's ready." Steve placed both hands onto Bucky's shoulders and ushered him from the bathroom. "You need to pick out something nice to wear."

"I do?" Bucky was confused, but as Steve marched him into the suite's lounge, he saw that the rail of clothes from the personal shopper had appeared, with lots of new items hanging there. "Ooh," Bucky said, going over there to look.

"You need to get dressed," Steve said, pulling on a suit jacket over his shirt and tie. "I suggest smart casual."

"Sure thing," Bucky agreed, rifling through the clothes on offer. They were all gorgeous, and very expensive. "Where's Luis?"

"He has another client today," Steve told him. "I had him drop these off first thing."

Bucky laughed lightly. "Steve, when do you sleep?"

"Maybe later." Steve chuckled. "C'mon, Bucky. Chop, chop."

"Okay, okay." Bucky picked out an outfit of dark tailored pants and a light grey shirt. He removed his robe and tossed it over to Steve to be cheeky, before pulling on the pants.

"Aren't you wearing underwear?" Steve asked.

Bucky threw Steve a flirty look. "Do I need any?"

Steve chuckled quietly. "I guess not."

When Bucky was dressed with one coffee in him, they left the suite together.

Bucky took his bag with him, in case he'd be going straight to work later. Steve had mentioned taking Bucky into his audition, then leaving him there while he went to his business meeting.

The car waiting for them outside the hotel was sleek and shiny, with leather seats inside. It was less lonely sitting in the back with Steve next to him, even though Steve had his eyes glued to his tablet the whole time.

"Where's your meeting?" Bucky asked, curious.

Steve was still reading his tablet, answering emails. "Boston," he replied calmly. "I'll be back later tonight."

Bucky nodded. He wondered if Steve would invite him to the hotel again, or if he'd need to crash out. Steve really needed to sleep more.

The car drove them uptown, and it was a bad time to drive with all the traffic but Steve didn't seem concerned. Probably he'd allowed for travel time, Bucky thought.

Bucky's stomach started to rumble quietly by the time the car dropped them off, but there was no way he'd eat right before an audition, not unless he wanted to puke it back up, and he wasn't auditioning for The Exorcist.

They got out in front of an old brownstone building on the corner of the street, and it was clearly well kept with recently painted detail around the brickwork, and pots of colorful flowers by the windows.

"Nice place," Bucky murmured, as Steve pressed the door buzzer. There was a small plaque on the wall that said _Marvel Inc_ , though Bucky wasn't sure who that was.

Steve gave him a friendly smile. "Trust me," he said, "you're in good hands."

Bucky nodded back at him, and he certainly felt less nervous with Steve at his side.

The door was opened by a young black woman, maybe in her late teens or early twenties by Bucky's guess. She was petite and very pretty, with a hairdo of bouncy curls. She broke into a happy smile upon seeing Steve.

"Hi, Steve!" she greeted, immediately going in for a cheek kiss with him. "I haven't seen you in months!"

"Hey, Monica," Steve replied, pulling back from the cheek kisses to smile at her. "Wow, you get taller every time I see you."

She laughed at that. "I stopped growing already!"

"Nah, lies," Steve teased.

Bucky almost felt like an awkward third wheel until Steve introduced him. "Monica, this is Bucky. Bucky, may I introduce Monica, Maria and Carol's daughter."

Bucky smiled politely and extended his hand to her. "Pleased to meet you."

"Great to meet you!" she said, clasping his hand in a firm shake. "I can't wait to get started! Oh, you have long hair! Even better."

"It's past his shoulders when it's down," Steve replied on Bucky's behalf, as Monica beckoned them inside. Bucky found himself swept along as the two of them chatted like old friends, and Bucky gazed around at the home he was in.

Was it a home? A very expensive home, perhaps. Or a homely office? Bucky wasn't sure. It wasn't that different from the hotel's fancy décor.

Monica led the way up a spiral staircase, and on the second floor Bucky spotted clues that told him they were probably in a home studio, or something like that.

They were shown through a reception area, with plenty of framed photos lining the walls. Bucky recognised one face among the models present, an actress turned super director by the name of Carol Danvers. She'd been in that movie set in space, and...

Bucky realised the person Steve had spoken to on the phone last night had been called Carol.

_Steve knew Carol Danvers?_

Bucky almost fainted. And she was _gay married?_ Bucky'd had no idea. His fingers were itching to send a text to Kamala about this, but that would have to wait. Maybe they'd make him sign a NDA or something.

Bucky spotted a big ginger cat in the hallway, asleep on a chair.

"My assistant, Goose, is hard at work," Monica commented as they passed the cat. "As you can see."

She showed them to a room that was set up like an audition room, so Bucky was familiar with that at least. An older black woman was there, dressed in jeans and a baggy t-shirt. She had closely cropped hair, but when she came over to greet them and she smiled, Bucky saw the resemblance to Monica in her eyes, so he was going to guess this was Maria.

"Has Steve told you what we're doing today?" Maria asked him with a grin.

"Uh," Bucky said, which made Monica chuckle.

"We make show reels," Maria explained. "I mainly find actors and models for ad agencies. Are you okay with eating food on camera?"

Bucky's stomach rumbled at the mention of food. "Oh, absolutely fine with that," he said.

They got to work pretty fast, switching the bright lights on and rolling the cameras.

Maria was the one in charge, directing Bucky to stand on the marker and what to do, while Monica was the assistant who'd run about and adjust lights, and hand Bucky different props to hold.

Bucky ate two candy bars, and drank a half can of soda for the camera, acting as if he was enjoying them a lot.

Steve was sitting nearby, away from the bright lights but still near enough that Bucky could see him. And Bucky hadn't had to read or write anything so far, so he felt fine being directed by Maria.

"You're doing great, Bucky," Maria called over from behind the camera. "We'll move onto clothes now."

Monica came over to hand him a large winter coat, and Maria directed Bucky to put it on and do a couple turns, then take it off again and repeat.

Bucky was more than fine with that.

"I think he should have his hair down for some," Monica called out. "Mom? Don't you think?"

"Sure," Maria agreed. "Bucky, if you don't mind?"

"It's fine," Bucky replied, tugging the hair tie out and ruffling his hair a bit. "I just washed it so it's a bit fluffy."

"Looks fine on camera," Maria said. "Do some turns with the coat, please, and flick your hair."

Bucky repeated the turns, and when the coat prop was done Monica took it away. The next prop was sort of a squishy, vibrant green bean bag.

"I know," Monica laughed when she noticed Bucky eyeing the bean bag. "It's for photoshop. We edit on the relevant product to the final image when we pitch to clients."

Bucky laughed too. "So I pretend it's what?"

"We just don't know," she told him. "Could be a soda can, could be a cologne bottle. And, hey," she leaned in to whisper, "I think you've got a cologne look about you. If you're lucky, an advertiser might just agree."

Bucky ducked his head shyly and smiled back. "That would be awesome."

"Sell it!" She winked at him before disappearing behind the lights again.

Bucky did his damn best to sell that green bean bag, and gave all his best Blue Steels and Magnums. Maria directed him with where to look, and for the most part Bucky felt pretty good about the shoot.

It all took some time, of course. After nearly two hours, Steve came over to say that his car was downstairs and he had to leave for his meeting.

Bucky edged his way out of the spotlight to thank Steve and bid him goodbye. Steve put his hand on Bucky's shoulder as he smiled at him. "This is fun, right? You're doing great."

Bucky smiled and nodded. "It's amazing. Thank you."

"Oh, my pleasure, Bucky." Steve squeezed his shoulder affectionately before he called over to Monica and Maria, "You ladies look after him now!"

"We will!" Monica called back.

Then Steve left, but Bucky felt comfortable with how his audition was going.

"Bucky, do you need a break?" Maria asked. "We only have a couple more things to do, then I think we have plenty to edit into a showreel."

"I'm fine," Bucky told her. "But if you want a break, I don't mind stopping."

"Why don't we get it done now," Monica suggested, "then we can have a late lunch?"

"Perfect," Maria agreed. "I can show you the rushes, Bucky."

"Um, sure?" Bucky said, pleasantly surprised. "Sounds awesome."

~~

"Kamala?" Bucky called, bustling in through his apartment door. "Kamala? Kamala?"

"What?" she called in reply, as Bucky bounced into the lounge and found her on the couch with her laptop. "Where's the fire?"

Bucky grinned and bounced with excitement, pulling an envelope from his bag to hand to her. "I don't have time to explain, I gotta go to work, but I did a showreel today and I guess these people are my agents now? Anyway I told them you really liked Carol Danvers and they gave me this promo stuff from her new movie coming out!"

Kamala stared at Bucky with a confused frown, then looked at the envelope he waved at her. "Wait, what?"

"Exclusive promo shit!" Bucky gave her the envelope. "I really gotta go, my cab's waiting and I'll be late for work. But they're really awesome and they're gonna submit my new stuff to ad agencies or something, anyway it's all real cool, bye!" He waved his hands in the air as he flailed back out of the apartment again.

The elevator was being slow to arrive, so Bucky raced down the stairs on foot.

When he got outside, his phone rang with Kamala's special ringtone. Bucky accepted the call, hearing Kamala babbling away immediately.

"This is her new movie!" she was saying. "I can't believe this! Bucky, did you meet Carol Danvers?"

"No, she's in L.A. shooting," Bucky replied, hustling into his car and giving the driver the club's address. "I basically met her family and their daughter gave me the promo when I said what a huge fan you are."

"Ah, wow," Kamala breathed. "Thank you so much!"

Bucky grinned happily. "Isn't it cool? Maybe next time you can come with me?"

Kamala's answering squeal was so high it went ultra sonic.

"I'll take that as a yes," Bucky laughed.


	9. Take your passion and make it happen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, yay, we made it through last week! Thank fuck for that!
> 
> Want to help phone or text bank later this week for the Georgia state run offs? Flip the senate and help the Dems and Biden help you!  
> [View the Fair Fight Action event here](https://www.mobilize.us/fairfightaction/event/362669/) to sign up for phone or text banking shifts.
> 
> Signal boost it on [tumblr here](https://jro616.tumblr.com/post/634325552181002240/runoff-gotv-weekend-of-action-phone-and-text-bank).
> 
> ~~~

Bucky got to work on time, which was a small miracle for New York traffic.

And Clint had evidently opened on time for once as well, so Bucky was able to buzz the door for entry and go straight in to get out of the cold.

He felt very buoyed from his showreel experience today, and working with Maria and Monica. Bucky sent Steve a text when he was in the dressing room, thanking him for setting it all up.

He wasn't sure if Steve would be awake, as it was mid evening, so Bucky didn't call. Phones weren't allowed on the club floor either, so he'd have to sneak back to the dressing room later to check his messages.

Once Bucky was changed into his short-shorts, boots and had his hair all fluffed out, he put on one of his expensive shirts from his new swag collection. It was black and sheer, and Bucky figured he could incorporate it into his routine later.

Plus, it was a little too cold to be hanging around in only booty shorts while the club waited for its first customers.

Bucky skipped up the stairs and headed straight over to the bar, leaning on it to grin at Darcy.

She was busy stocking up the bottles, and raised an eyebrow at him. "You want a drink?"

"I think I will, actually." Bucky felt like celebrating. "Pour me a bourbon, Darce. Have one for yourself too."

"Now you're talking," she replied, grabbing two rocks glasses. She poured out generous measures of bourbon.

Bucky felt in his boot, pulling out a twenty dollar bill. "Here, Darce. Keep the change." He slid the note across the bar and picked up his glass. "Bottoms up."

" _L'Chayim_ ," she replied, as they toasted together and drank. "What's got you in such a good mood, huh?"

"Nothing." Bucky grinned mischievously. "Just high off life," he said, taking his bourbon and skipping off to the DJ booth. "I wanna warm up! Can you put on some Prince?" he asked the DJ.

"Which one?" the guy replied.

"I'll go with that 1999 one," Bucky said, then hurried over to the stage.

It was empty, because it was early and there were currently no customers in. But Bucky wanted to dance. He took another sip of his drink before placing it on the edge of the stage, then he rolled himself bodily onto the platform to strike a pose.

"Oh, hey, while you're up there," Clint said, carrying a cloth and cleaning spray in hand, "you can clean the pole for me."

"If I must," Bucky said, taking the cleaning supplies. He squirted cleaning solution onto the cloth. "Nobody has any idea how glamorous this job really is," he murmured to himself.

Then the DJ got his song going, turning the volume up. Bucky got to work cleaning the pole, shimmying around as he sang along. "Oops, out of time! So tonight I'm gonna party..."

The club got some customers through the door shortly after that, and Bucky ended up being busy dancing for an hour.

When he snuck down to the dressing room to check his phone, it was nearly ten. There was a missed call and a text from Steve.

Bucky read the text first, worried that something was wrong, but Steve was apparently just letting Bucky know that he had to stay in Boston for a couple of days to fix a problem with a hotel. He also suggested that when he was back, they could have dinner together.

Bucky was very happy with that, and he took a selfie of himself posing for Steve's benefit, and sent it to him with some kissing emojis.

 _See you soon, daddy_ , Bucky sent.

~~

Bucky figured he would have at least a couple days to himself, since Steve wasn't around and Kamala was out during the day.

So the next day, after a really good sleep in, Bucky arranged himself on the couch in a swaddle of blankets with plenty of snacks nearby, and was all set to watch another episode of _Styling Hollywood._

His phone started to ring, and when Bucky looked at the screen he saw Monica's name. (They'd swapped numbers, as she was Maria's assistant.)

Bucky's stomach swooped, and he figured that she was calling to tell him it wouldn't work out after all and they'd have to let him go.

He accepted the call, his throat very dry but he squeaked out, "Hello?"

"Bucky!" Monica replied, sounding exuberant. "You'll never guess what I've manifested!"

"Um...?" Bucky said, totally clueless.

"Remember I said you had a cologne look?" she went on. "Well, yesterday one of our clients put a call out for new faces, and yours was one we sent over. The good news is, they're starting auditions _tomorrow_ and they want to see you."

"I, oh," Bucky said, taken aback. "That's... awesome, wow."

"Yeah, it is!" Monica said. "I totally put that into the Universe."

"So it's an audition for an ad?" Bucky asked.

"Yep," she replied. "Calvin Klein."

Bucky's jaw dropped open.

"Are you still there?" Monica asked.

"Uh... barely," Bucky said, and laughed nervously. "Are you sure about this, Monica?"

"Trust me," she told him. "Text me your address and I'll come pick you up tomorrow. Mom's real excited about this one, so I'll be going with you."

"Oh, sure." Bucky felt relieved to hear that. "I hate going alone anyway."

"Right?" Monica chuckled. "I'll be your wing-woman. I'll have to pick you up around nine. Is that okay?"

Bucky winced. Nine was like the middle of the night for him. He'd have to see if somebody would cover his shift tonight.

"Yeah," he said, determined to make it work. "That's fine. I'll text you my address."

"Awesome!" she replied. "See you tomorrow, Bucky."

Going to the audition with Monica was actually a lot of fun.

Bucky had managed to swap shifts with somebody, so while he'd had trouble falling asleep because of nerves, he had managed at least a little bit of sleep last night.

Monica sat in the back of the Uber with him, and they went through Bucky's photos and headshots on her tablet. She wanted him to know which sides and which looks were his best, and to replicate those today.

Bucky hadn't had much guidance like this before, not useful guidance anyway. He'd been yelled at and given unhelpful feedback, sure, but no one had ever sat him down and critiqued him like this.

Bucky was sure he wouldn't get this part anyway. Like, no way. But he figured this was good practice, and there would be other auditions.

Especially if Monica and Maria were his agents now.

Next Monica took him through the Calvin Klein brand, showing him photos and videos of their past ads. She'd already told Bucky what to wear today, and again it was lucky Steve had given him all those clothes, as Bucky had a nice, fashionable suit and shirt to wear.

"What is the ad for?" he asked.

"They're launching a new unisex fragrance called Everyone," Monica said. "It'll be an updated version of CK One from the '90s."

"I like CK One," Bucky mused.

"You'll have to be prepared to get undressed," Monica reminded him. "You brought spare underwear, right?"

Bucky smiled and patted his bag. "All prepared. And no sweat, I'm _very_ good at taking my clothes off."

There was a lot of clothes taking off involved during the audition, but it wasn't in a sexy way; the director asked for a casual removal of clothes, several times.

When Bucky had his turn in front of the cameras, he turned and walked around the markers as directed. Then he did the same but also while peeling off layers of clothes.

It was kind of cold, but Bucky was used to walking around without clothes on, and here at least the lights were warm.

Monica watched from the side-lines, and her presence really helped Bucky's confidence. It was like having her there reassured him that he'd have help if he struggled with anything. As it turned out, he hadn't needed to write or to read at all, as the part was non speaking and Monica took care of any forms to fill in.

All Bucky had to do was focus on playing to the camera.

He'd had his hair up the whole time, and when Bucky was down to his underwear (Calvin Klein, as per Monica's strict instructions) the director sent in a hair stylist to rearrange Bucky's hair down. The stylist clipped half his hair up, and arranged the rest to the side.

"You're doing great," she whispered to him, smoothing some product onto his hair lengths. "You have a fantastic smile."

Bucky blushed at the praise. "Thank you."

She smiled at him before dashing off again, leaving Bucky to smile at the camera and do some turns.

Next came the putting on of clothes; still part of the screen test. Once Bucky had his pants on, the director asked if Bucky would catch his shirt if an assistant tossed it to him.

"Sure," he said, and then they went through several takes of shirt tossing and Bucky attempting to catch it in an attractive way.

"Let me try?" Monica snatched up the shirt from the floor, balled it up and tossed it at Bucky's head. The shirt wrapped around his face and Bucky pulled it down with a laugh.

The director liked that, which meant repeating the same move a dozen more times. Bucky thought Monica enjoyed throwing things at him way too much.

When it was over and Bucky was dressed, Monica told him to wait outside in the reception while she spoke to the director's assistant.

It had gone well, Bucky thought. At least, from his side of things. No one had yelled at him at any point, so that was a plus from his usual auditions.

Monica joined him in reception. "That went really well," she told him, as they walked out together. "They were pleased with you."

"So, that's good?" Bucky asked.

"Very," Monica said. "I'm hopeful for a call back on this. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything. I'm starving. Brunch?"

"Yeah, love to," Bucky said.

She took him to a brunch place around the corner, a lot fancier than Bucky was used to. The avocado toast alone was fifteen dollars.

"Um," Bucky said, fretting over the menu. (What he could make of it, anyway.) "I'll just have a glass of table water, I guess."

"This is a client lunch," Monica told him. "So the bill's taken care of."

"Oh. Um." Bucky wasn't used to being wined and dined, not for business. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." She smiled at him. "And please don't make me eat alone."

"Alright. I'll just have what your having," Bucky told her, because he still couldn't read the menu.

Bucky wasn't sure if she knew he was dyslexic, but he had a feeling maybe she did.

Monica ordered for them, and soon they had frothy cappuccinos and mineral water to drink, plus multiple plates of delicate crunchy toast with different healthy toppings.

"Wow, they're so cute," Bucky said, before promptly inhaling one entire piece of avocado toast in a single bite.

Monica snort-laughed into her coffee. "You're just like Carol."

"Mmm, yum," Bucky exclaimed with his mouth full, covering it with his hand as he spoke. "Oh, also, thanks so much for that promo stuff you gave me. My room-mate absolutely lost her shit over it."

"I barely understood what you just mumbled, but you're welcome," Monica laughed. "Hey, I'm going on a directing course soon. Would you be my model when I need one? I really like working with you."

"Yeah!" Bucky lit up at that. "Absolutely! Wow, directing?"

"Mm-hm, Carol's sending me on it." Monica smiled. "I have so many ideas..."

They had the best brunch in the history of brunches, and afterwards Monica offered to get him a car.

She was due back home to finish editing showreels with Maria, so she was headed in a different direction from Bucky. He was fine with the bus though, so they said goodbye and went their separate ways.

Bucky had a good feeling about today, about working with Monica. He hadn't felt this excited about his career in months, _years_ even.

He got in line at the bus stop, waiting for a bus to take him home. Bucky hadn't shared his exciting news with his family yet. He figured he'd wait until he had something more firm to share with them, as he'd been telling his mom about having an agent for some four years now and he didn't have anything to show, she probably got sick of hearing about it. As soon as he got an acting job he would tell her and everyone else too, he decided.

In the meantime, he could tell Steve.

It was nearing noon, and Bucky didn't want to call in case he was working, so he texted Steve that the audition had gone well and Monica seemed happy with him. He added on an additional text that he'd had to take his clothes on and off, and it'd been kind of funny.

Then he slipped his phone away so he could watch for his bus, a smile on his face as he thought about everything.

~~

When Steve called Bucky later that day, he'd said he had a surprise to show him when he got back to the city.

"What kind of surprise?" Bucky asked over video chat.

Steve only grinned like he was excited, and it was fun to see him like that.

"You'll see," he said. "Can I send a car for you tomorrow?"

"If it's not too early," Bucky replied. "Some of us work nights, remember."

"It won't be too early," Steve promised.

So the next day, after getting a good sleep in, Bucky got himself ready and packed his work bag for the night, and waited for his car.

Steve sent another of the sleek black cars from the hotel with the leather seats, and Bucky slid into the back.

He was on his own, but the car was taking him to meet Steve so Bucky felt pretty relaxed. Excited, even.

The car drove uptown, hitting some traffic and slowly edging its way through the other cars. Bucky messed about on his phone to pass the time, occasionally glancing out the window to see where they were headed.

Once they were out of the heavy traffic, the driver took them down side streets and continued uptown. The buildings on either side of the street and the stores all started looking rather fancy and expensive. Bucky put his phone away and peered out the window, curious, and tried to guess where they'd end up.

This wasn't far from where Monica and Maria's home studio was. But Bucky had spoken to Monica last night and he wasn't aware of anything new happening. He had a meeting scheduled with her tomorrow before work, where they'd go over a basic agent's contract for him, and show him the final edits of his new showreel.

The Calvin Klein audition had been a surprise, and Bucky was on pins and needles waiting to hear back from it, but he figured it was a one in a million chance they'd want him, and there would be other jobs so it was fine.

Evidently, the car wasn't heading to Monica's place now, as it drove past that block and kept going.

This was the upper east side, and Bucky gazed out at the buildings they passed with pretty trees lining the streets.

It was all very fancy.

 _Very_ fancy.

The car turned down one of the quiet, residential streets, and pulled into a stop outside one of the brownstones.

"Here we are, sir," the driver informed Bucky.

"Oh, right." Bucky wasn't sure where here was, but he thanked the driver and got out, taking his bag with him.

Where was Steve?

Bucky looked up and down the street, having to lean around the nearest tree to see, but no Steve anywhere.

The car didn't drive away either; the engine switched off and the driver got out his phone to play with. Clearly he wasn't going anywhere.

Bucky got out his phone too, and dialled Steve. "Hey," he said when Steve picked up. "So, where am I?"

Steve's devious little chuckle filled his ear. "Are you outside building number fifteen?"

Bucky looked behind him at the brownstone, and tried to find a number he could read. "You're asking me, a dyslexic, what number the building is?"

"Oh, shit, I forgot," Steve murmured, and sounded like he was moving. "I'll press the buzzer, tell me if you hear it?"

Bucky listened, and luckily he heard Steve's voice coming out the buzzer on the doorstep. He walked up there, stepping close enough to the buzzer to reply. "I'm here," he said.

"Okay, great," Steve's tinny voice replied. "Go on through the door, walk up the stairs to the third floor."

"Third floor," Bucky repeated so he wouldn't forget, and pushed his way through the heavy wooden door.

This was a very nice building. Even the entryway was fancy and had a vase of fresh flowers. Bucky looked around curiously, and headed for the stairs. He spotted what looked like a very small elevator too, but he did as Steve asked and used the stairs.

"Where are you?" he asked, with Steve still on the line.

"You'll see," Steve replied, sounding amused.

"Is this a treasure hunt?" Bucky quickened his pace, taking the stairs two at a time.

"Could be!" Steve said, and now Bucky heard his voice so he looked up.

Steve was there, leaning over the rail. "Hey," he said softly. "You found me."

Bucky grinned and put his phone away. He ran up the last few steps, bounding over to Steve. "Found you! Do I get a prize?"

Steve smiled fondly before pressing a kiss to Bucky's lips. "What sort of prize did you want?"

"I can think of a few things." Bucky grinned in reply, leaning into Steve for more kisses.

Steve gave him a brief kiss before pulling away. "Later, I promise. I have to show you something right now."

"Oh?" Bucky found himself ushered along by Steve into an apartment door. He looked around in confusion, wondering if they were meeting somebody. "Where are we exactly?"

"See if you can guess," Steve told him with a grin.

"Guess, huh?" Bucky wasn't sure what this was about, but he was intrigued. He walked further inside the apartment, looking around for clues.

There wasn't a lot in here, he realised. Either someone had recently moved out, or this space wasn't used as a home. It was very clean and obviously recently decorated, and to excellent taste. ( _Styling Hollywood_ would've approved.) But there wasn't much furniture or decorations, nothing that could tell him who this belonged to.

Bucky glanced back at Steve, giving him a shrug.

"Go take a look around," Steve told him, still smiling like he knew a delicious secret.

Bucky did as he was told, and had a walk through the apartment. He was nosy anyway, and he loved looking around places. The rooms were all spacious with high ceilings, so it felt big even for a modest space. Bucky loved that.

And the views were wonderful. He went over to the big window in what was probably the lounge, and looked out at the street. Up here, he saw the trees and the upper parts of the buildings opposite. It felt very calm, very peaceful.

"You can't even hear the traffic from here," Bucky commented.

"Only a little if you open the window," Steve said, coming over to do just that.

Bucky leaned his head out to take a peep and listen for the traffic. He only heard horns honking faintly, which was such a world away from his own apartment.

"Bucky, take care now," Steve said, setting his hand onto Bucky's shoulder to guide him back inside. "Why don't you look at the rest of the rooms?"

"Sure," Bucky agreed. He went off to nose at the bathroom next, opening the door and switching on the light to see.

It was very nice, especially for the small space. Bucky would've been quite happy with a bathroom like this, all smooth wooden floor and polished surfaces.

"Well, it's nothing like your bathroom in the hotel," Bucky said when Steve came up behind him. "But I don't think a hot tub would fit in this space."

Steve chuckled in amusement. "Probably not. This is the shower room, there's a second bathroom in the bedroom."

"Always useful," Bucky replied, as they left the bathroom to head to the bedroom.

There was no bed, just the empty room decorated in a pretty cream color with blue accents.

Bucky nosed at the bathroom, smaller than the other one but perfectly fine. Then he discovered a walk in wardrobe and gasped in excitement. "Oh-em-gee!" he exclaimed, opening up the doors. "Just like Carrie Bradshaw!"

"Who?" Steve asked, trailing behind him as Bucky skipped into the closet.

"Didn't you watch Sex and The City?" Bucky said, searching around for the light. "She had a great closet and lots of cool clothes."

"Can't say I ever have." Steve felt on the wall and turned the light on.

Bucky looked around in awe. It may not have been quite as fabulous as the Carrie closet, but it was close. He gazed at the spaces for hanging garments and storing shoes, imagining filling it up with lovely clothes and accessories.

"This is pretty neat," Bucky said, opening up another compartment. "You could totally hide everything in here."

Steve chuckled in amusement. "Would it fit all your clothes?"

"I don't have that many," Bucky laughed. "That stuff you bought me is like ten times what I had before."

"I see," Steve said. "But you like the clothes, right?"

"Yeah, of course." Bucky smiled back at Steve. "I totally needed them for the auditions. I didn't have a nice suit before."

"Luis does a suit fitting service," Steve said, as they left the closet. "I'm sure he'd love to do a fitting for you."

Bucky felt shy about accepting such a gift. "Where would I wear a suit?" he joked.

"You're with Maria's agency now, right?" Steve asked. "You'll need more than one suit, Bucky."

"Um, I guess." Bucky played with his hair, looking around at the near empty room. "So, did we look at everything?"

"Kitchen?" Steve suggested. "Then you've seen everything."

They went to the kitchen, which was compact but because it was open plan and with a cute little island, it worked well for the space.

There was a fancy tap at the sink with a pull out nozzle, and Bucky fiddled with that to see what it did.

"Be careful," Steve warned him, "it comes out hot, too. As in boiling hot."

"Instant boiling water?" Bucky was impressed. How the other half lived, he thought.

There were spaces around the kitchen where appliances would go, Bucky noticed. When someone moved in, presumably.

"Well, we've seen it all," Bucky said, leaning against a counter as he looked at Steve. "What's the surprise?"

Steve smiled, and gestured at the space. "I'm thinking of buying this place."

"Oh? Like, for work?" Bucky guessed.

"For myself," Steve said, watching Bucky closely. "I miss New York, and I wanted to live here again. So, I need a place."

"Oh," Bucky said, surprised. "You don't want to stay in the hotel?"

Steve chuckled. "It would work out a bit more expensive than owning a place for myself."

"Right." Bucky nodded. "So... this place, huh?"

"Yeah, it's a good spot," Steve said. "Easy to get into the city. What do you think of it?"

"What do I think?" Bucky couldn't help a laugh. "Why?"

"Do you like this apartment?" Steve asked.

"Well, sure." Bucky shrugged, bemused. "But I'm not the one buying it, am I."

"No," Steve tilted his head, "but I was hoping you'd be spending time here with me. I wanted to see what you thought."

"Oh." Bucky was so surprised, he didn't know what to say.

"So?" Steve prompted, looking a little less sure of himself. "I know it's not the hotel, but––"

"Oh, no, it's great," Bucky rushed to reassure Steve. "This is an awesome apartment, really. You should totally get it if you like it."

Steve's answering smile was wide and happy. "Yeah? I mean, there's a couple more I was looking at, but I really like this location. Plus it's not far from Maria and Carol, so that's always good."

"Mmm," Bucky agreed, still blown away but excited too. "I could like, come visit you here?"

"That's the idea." Steve smiled at him.

Well, Bucky had just died and gone to heaven. It was a shame there wasn't a bed or any furniture here they could celebrate on.

"Hello?" a voice called as someone came in the front door. "Mr. Rogers?"

"In here, Sally," Steve called back. "She's the realtor," Steve added to Bucky.

"Oh," he said, as a woman in a navy pantsuit joined them.

"You must be Bucky," she said, extending her hand to him. "So what do you think of the apartment?"

Bucky shook her hand in a daze, and managed to nod his head. "Um, yeah. Tens across the board."

"Oh, wow." She laughed, turning to Steve. "That's good, right?"

"Yes, a good result," Steve replied with a smile. "Thank you, Sally. I'd like to go ahead and make that offer we discussed."

"Sure," she said. "I think you'll be very happy here, Mr. Rogers."

Bucky tuned out a little as they talked, his mind dancing off into happily ever after scenarios of him and Steve playing house in this apartment. He walked through the lounge picturing the two of them here. Bucky knew he may be totally jumping the gun on what this all meant, but he'd give himself the reality check later.

For now, he just wanted to daydream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw if you were at all curious about the Calvin Klein ad, I didn't even need to make it up because they'd already done an ad this year that fit what I had in mind, [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGIDOydp54g).
> 
> :D


	10. Pictures come alive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a smol heads up, if you've seen Flashdance you'll know what happens at the restaurant scene, but if you haven't and you want the spoilers, check the chapter End Notes.
> 
> Also the Bucky fanart is here! Yay! Check it out on [tumblr](https://jro616.tumblr.com/post/634597966512062464/dancer-bucky-commissioned-by-jro616-for-their) and on [twitter](https://twitter.com/fffirulais/status/1326893588559638529)! Please check it out, I'm so happy with the Flashdance Bucky art!
> 
> ~~

The next day, Bucky had his meeting with Monica in her home studio.

He was so thrilled to have a good agent, and someone he could get along with too. After showing him the showreel edits (different edits for different looks and themes) and his new headshots, they had coffee together in the office with the big ginger cat, Goose, asleep on a chair nearby.

"I would've gone through a contract earlier," Monica explained, opening up a folder on her desk, "but as you're a friend of Steve's, we knew you were good."

Bucky smirked at the _friend_ part, but he didn't say anything in case Steve hadn't told her they were seeing each other.

"Are you on contract with anyone else?" Monica asked him.

"Agents? No," Bucky said. "I just work in a club right now."

"That's fine," she replied. "You can work as you need, but if I call you with an audition you must make yourself available for them. Even if they're last minute. And that goes for any jobs offers too."

Bucky nodded his head. "My shifts are pretty flexible."

"Alright, let's go through the contract," she said, turning the first page.

Bucky hated contracts. It was all a jumble of words to him, and it made him feel stupid and ashamed when he struggled to read the words.

Thankfully Monica went through each section with him, calmly and politely like it was a normal thing to do.

Bucky had no idea if she did this with everyone, or maybe she assumed he'd never signed a contract before, but he was grateful for not having to read everything alone.

After he'd agreed to the terms (it was all pretty standard for an agent) he was happy to sign; they did their signatures and Monica gave him a copy to take home.

"I'll be honest, Bucky," she said, as they finished their coffee, "some auditions come in either the day before or on the same day, and we do expect our clients to go to as many auditions as they can. It's just how it goes; there's a call, we send you."

Bucky nodded along. "Yes, absolutely. I'll go. I totally want to go to as many as I can."

"I won't always be able to go with you," she went on. "If I'm free, I will. But sometimes you'll have to go on your own. I'm only sending you for non speaking roles right now, but if you want to change that in the future we can talk about it."

"Sure." Bucky was relieved to hear that. "I'm like, super grateful, Monica. Thank you, I mean it."

She smiled at him. "I think we'll do good things, Bucky. Anyway, take care, and I'll call you if anything fun comes up."

~~

Bucky had plans to spend the rest of the day with Steve, who was working from his suite at the hotel.

They'd planned to eat an early dinner together before Bucky went into work. And hopefully do some _other_ fun things, Bucky thought with a smile.

He was just getting his bus to take him into Manhattan when his phone rang. "Hello?" he answered, walking down the bus aisle to take his seat.

"Bucky!" Monica greeted. "I know I literally just saw you, but guess what?"

"Um, what?" Bucky sat down on a free seat, thrilled and nervous all at once.

"You've got a call back from Calvin Klein," Monica told him. "Mom is _real_ happy about this, by the way."

Bucky's mouth dropped open. "Me? Really?"

"Yeah!" Monica said cheerily. "It's on Monday. You can make it, right? I'm going to confirm with them now."

"Yes, Monday's fine." Bucky really hoped it wasn't too early, but he'd go anyway. "Wow, I can't believe it."

"I knew they liked you," Monica said. "Now, I may not be available to accompany you, but it's literally gonna be the same sort of audition with more of their creative team. Alright? It'll be a piece of cake, you got this."

"Yes, cool." Bucky nodded with determination. "I got this."

Monica said she'd email him all the information, then ended the call. Bucky instantly got cold feet again about going on his own, and he wondered who he could ask to go with him on Monday. Kamala would be in classes during the day, and Bucky didn't trust anyone from work to behave themselves on a set and not ruin his chances.

And... Bucky didn't really know anyone else. He wasn't about to call up his family and ask, they'd behave worse than his stripper friends.

He got off at his bus stop and walked to the Apollo hotel, thinking things over. When he arrived in the penthouse suite he found Steve working at the dining table. His laptop was set up with what sounded like an intense Zoom meeting, with paper spreadsheets and folders all on the table, so Bucky kept out of the way while Steve was talking.

They did smile at each other in greeting, and Steve had evidently ordered room service at some point and arranged it at the other end of the big table. Bucky assumed it was for him, so he gratefully sat down in front of several dishes. He lifted the silver lids to inspect what was underneath, pleased to discover a fancy selection of fresh fruit, dips, and side dishes to nibble on.

The suite's tablet was on the table too, so Bucky picked it up and browsed through it to be nosy. He could view the hotel's rooms on this (none as grand as the penthouse, though) and the services the hotel offered.

When Steve was done with his call, he shut the laptop screen and came over to Bucky. "Sorry, just finishing up," he said, planting a kiss on the top of Bucky's head.

"'M fine," Bucky said, mouth full with food. "Don't worry." He was quite content to sit there in Steve's company while he worked.

Bucky nibbled the food while Steve went back to his laptop for another business call. It was kind of fun listening to Steve in work mode; he was so firm, so commanding and in charge. Bucky was in serious danger of getting a woody listening to Steve be such a boss.

After the last call was done and Steve closed the laptop and his ledger, Bucky noted the light sigh Steve gave and how he rubbed at his eyes.

Steve was tired, he realised.

Bucky got up and went around the back of Steve's chair so he could rub gently at his shoulders. "You want to go take a nap, daddy?"

Steve chuckled wryly. "I won't sleep. Besides, I'm hungry."

"We should eat dinner," Bucky suggested. "Can we have champagne? I have news."

"News?" Steve twisted around to look at him.

Bucky bounced a little in excitement. "Monica just told me I have a call back for a Calvin Klein ad."

"Wow, that's great!" Steve's face lit up. "We'll definitely have champagne. Actually..." He glanced at the dining table, still covered in all his business documents. "We should go eat somewhere special to celebrate. You want to go out to a restaurant? Or the hotel has fine dining downstairs?"

"Ooh, hmm," Bucky hummed in thought. "Downstairs is cool. I'd love that, actually."

"Great." Steve stood and gave Bucky a strong hug. "I'm so proud of you, Bucky. Well done."

Bucky hugged back and grinned, encased in Steve's arms. "Thank you."

After Steve put on a fresh shirt and tie, and his suit jacket, they headed down to the ground floor together.

Bucky hadn't seen much of the hotel other than the lobby and Steve's suite, so he was surprised to discover just how big it was downstairs.

On their way to the dining hall, they passed by Luis the elevators. He was instructing a porter to take a rail of clothes upstairs. Bucky waved at him. "Hey, Luis!"

Luis smiled back. "Good afternoon, sir. I mean, Bucky! And good afternoon, Mr. Rogers."

"Luis," Steve said in greeting. "You got a big order in?"

"Yes, sir, quite big," Luis replied, as the porter wheeled the rail inside the open elevator. "Nice older couple visiting from Europe. The wife wants to try out New York fashions."

"Great job," Steve told him. "See if they'll do a customer satisfaction survey after. Throw in a freebie or something if they do."

"Yes, sir, I will," Luis replied as he jumped into the elevator. "Have a good afternoon!"

"Luis deserves a raise," Bucky said when the elevator had closed.

Steve looked at him with a smile. "That's something we're looking into. Any more business tips for me?"

Bucky grinned. "Sure. Your signs need to be easier to read." He gestured at the wall, where the only signs for the dining hall and the lobby were in flowing script on shiny placques.

"I'll take it under advisement," Steve replied, leading the way to the dining hall. "Shall we eat?"

"Yeah!" Bucky looked around with glee at the expanse of the dining area. It was _huge_ , but with the low lighting, the soft music and potted plants around, it felt cosy. "This looks neat," he commented, making Steve chuckle.

"Sure hope so," he replied, as the host greeted them. "Two, please," Steve said. "Executive section."

"Yessir." The host picked up two enormous menus and led the way through the diners.

Bucky was surprised how busy it was, and gazed around with interest at the other people dining there. Lots of men in suits, he noticed. A few couples in fancy clothes, and one or two families that were probably tourists. It was an interesting mix of people for sure, and they all looked like they had _money_.

The host seated them at a table in a side section away from the main dining hall, next to high windows looking out on the street.

As Steve spoke to the host about having champagne brought to the table, Bucky sat down on his seat and admired all the fancy table dressing. Heavy white tablecloth, pretty pink napkins arranged into complex Origami, multiple sets of shiny silverware set out.

Bucky smirked to himself as he thought about Vivian in _Pretty Woman_ fretting over which cutlery to use.

Then he wondered if things had changed since _Pretty Woman_ was made, because that was his only reference for fine dining cutlery: start at the outside and work in.

Not that he cared all that much, and Bucky was sure Steve wouldn't be concerned. He looked up at Steve as he sat down across the table from him, and smiled when he saw Steve smile at him.

He still looked tired, Bucky thought; the lower lighting in the room picked up on those telltale dark shadows under Steve's eyes. Bucky decided he'd try and convince Steve to nap later, maybe give the guy a bourbon and tuck him into bed before Bucky left for work.

"Do you want me to order for you," Steve asked, "or I can read out the menu?"

Bucky felt shy at having to be accommodated, but it was mixed in with a warm fuzzy feeling that Steve was taking care of him.

"You can order," he replied. "Surprise me! But, nothing with muscles or oysters. That's just too much ick for me to cope with."

Steve chuckled lightly and opened his menu. "No muscles or oysters. Got it. I'm not that keen on them either."

"Every time there's a supposedly romantic scene with a couple eating them, I puke a little," Bucky declared. "In my soul and also in my mouth."

Steve laughed again, his shoulders shaking gently. "Happens a lot, huh?"

"If you watched TV, you'd know," Bucky said. "There was a whole scene of it in _Ratched_ where they're eating oysters, and I can't. I just can't. Bleh!" Bucky made a dramatic noise about it, and happened to notice a couple of businessmen on a nearby table sending him side-eye. "Sorry, but it's true," he said more quietly.

"What's _Ratched_?" Steve asked.

"Steve, you should know this," Bucky teased. "It's a new show based on the nurse character from _One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest_."

"Why should I know that?"

"Because it's an old movie," Bucky said with a laugh. "Jack Nicholson was in it."

"Oh, I see how it is." Steve chuckled. "Alright, yes, I do vaguely remember that movie. I never saw it though."

"We could watch a bit of _Ratched_ later," Bucky suggested. "There's this great scene of one bitch eating the other bitch's peach, and it's so awesome. I was, like, yeah, Mildred, drag her!"

Steve raised his eyebrows slightly. "Is that a euphemism? The peach?"

Bucky laughed. "No, it was just a peach. Anyway we'll watch it, you'll see."

A server came to their table carrying an ice bucket of champagne. Bucky watched as they uncorked the bottle and poured out two flutes for them, then asked if they were ready to order.

Steve smiled politely and handed back the menus, rattling off an order involving a lot of fancy words Bucky hadn't heard before, like _truffled_.

He loved chocolate. How exciting.

The server took the menus and left, and Steve raised his flute toward Bucky.

"A toast for your call back," he said, as Bucky grabbed his flute too. "Congratulations."

Bucky grinned as they touched glasses gently. "I haven't got it yet, Steve."

"A toast for luck." Steve smiled then took a sip of champagne.

Bucky did the same, and pulled a face in thought as he realised it tasted different. "Is this champagne?"

"Yes."

"But it tastes different?" Bucky said.

"That's probably because it's Louis Roederer," Steve replied.

Bucky shrugged. "Louis who?"

"Cristal," Steve amended.

"Oh, I see." Bucky glanced at the bottle in the ice bucket. "How much does this go for then?" he asked, taking another sip to taste.

"This bottle?" Steve smiled. "Well, it's a special vintage, so around ten thousand dollars."

Bucky coughed, snorting champagne up his nose. "Gah! What the hell, Steve?" he hissed. "That's insane!"

"It's a special occasion," Steve said calmly. He shook out a napkin and offered it to Bucky. "You alright?"

"Yeah, fine." Bucky took the napkin and dabbed at his nose and mouth. "Just snorting thousands of dollars worth of Cristal, no biggie."

Steve smiled fondly, the corners of his eyes crinkling up. "I don't usually buy this for myself," he explained. "I wanted our toast to be special."

Bucky would have to text Kamala later and freak out about the price, but for now he compartmentalised it and gave Steve a warm smile.

"Thank you," he said, meaning it. "Shall we try again?" He raised his flute up. "Here's to drinking like a baller."

Steve blinked in surprise, then smiled as he raised his glass. "Like a baller."

Bucky giggled into his glass.

Their starter dishes arrived, and Bucky was very curious about what he could only describe as an Art Nouveau arrangement of food on his tiny, tiny plate, so he poked at it with his equally tiny fork.

And there wasn't any sign of truffles or chocolate yet.

"If you don't like it," Steve told him, "don't feel you have to eat it."

"No way, I'll eat it," Bucky assured him. Free food? He wouldn't turn that down. He didn't care if he bloated after dinner and would have to dance extra slow at work for a while. This was a special occasion, as Steve had said.

He put a forkful of food art into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully as the different flavours of cooked vegetable and delicate slithers of prosciutto hit his tongue. "Mmm, it's good. Ten out of ten, would eat again."

Steve smiled at him. "I'm glad you like it."

Evidently his phone must have buzzed, as Steve shifted in order to take it from his pocket and glance at the screen. Then he frowned and put his phone away again.

Bucky figured it must've been work related, so he thought nothing more of it.

They finished the first course and the server came to take the plates, and Steve's phone went off again.

"You can get that if you want?" Bucky said, noting Steve's intense frown.

"No, it's fine," Steve said. "In fact, I'm turning it off."

Bucky raised his eyebrows a little. Steve never had his phone off, it was always quietly vibrating or beeping all day and night.

Steve poured more champagne for both of them, and Bucky teased him about spilling a drop and trying to guess how much the drop was worth. It got Steve laughing again, and they sipped their champagne while waiting for the main course.

Then someone approached their table and it wasn't one of the staff, at least not to Bucky's eyes. It was a woman: a curvy brunette with neatly styled curls, bright red lips, wearing a tailored dress and jacket.

She stepped up to their table, looking down her nose at both of them, and Bucky assumed she was somebody Steve knew or had something to do with the hotel.

"This is why you're not answering my calls, then," she directed to Steve in a cut glass English accent.

Steve looked surprised to see her (whoever she was) as they locked eyes. Bucky looked between the two of them and heard the _Kill Bill_ sirens in his head. This seemed less like a work thing and more like a romantic entanglement thing, Bucky thought. He kept perfectly still in his seat and hoped that, much like the T-Rex scene in Jurassic Park, if he didn't move then the threat wouldn't see him.

Steve seemed to recover from his shock and replied, quiet but firm, "I told you, Peggy, to go through my attorney."

"Oh, come on, Steve," she barked, like she was chastising a child. "You can't pick up the phone and have a conversation like an adult?"

"There's nothing more to say," Steve replied, steel lacing his voice. "I told you to speak to my attorney."

The woman, Peggy, snorted primly, then gave Bucky a dismissive glance. "Well, now I know why you came here," she said. "Too busy to talk to your wife while you're entertaining little boys."

Bucky raised his eyebrows at the _wife_ part, then raised them more so at the _little_ _boys_ comment. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, as conflicting thoughts battled to the front of his mind. Peggy was clearly a boss bitch, and Steve was _married_ to her?

"We're _separated_ ," Steve hissed, clearly trying to keep his voice down as the other diners started to side-eye them. "Soon to be divorced, if you'd _accept that_ and sign the papers."

"I'm not signing anything," Peggy scoffed, as Bucky felt partial relief at the reply from Steve.

They're separated, he thought. That explained the slight tan line around Steve's ring finger that he'd noticed. And soon to be divorced? This was why Steve was buying his own apartment and moving back to the city, then.

"Look, Peggy," Steve said to her, "whatever needs to be discussed can be done with our attorneys present. I'm not going around in circles with you any more."

"I can't believe you're acting like this," Peggy shot back, raising her voice. "Of all the ways to treat me..."

Bucky looked at her, then at Steve who was still sitting down. He realised that Steve was probably just going to sit there and take the heat while she embarrassed him in front of everyone, and Bucky didn't like that one bit.

He drew in a breath, and got to his feet.

Not that Peggy seemed to notice, too busy laying into Steve, but Steve looked at Bucky with a slight deer in the headlights expression.

"Time out," Bucky said, then raised his voice to get her attention, "Ma'am!" He clicked his fingers a few times. "Excuse you, but time out!"

She stopped short and looked at him in a mix of utter shock and contempt.

Bucky met her piercing gaze and stood tall. "Okay, _clearly_ ," he said, "you got some shit to go over with Steve here but I'd appreciate it if you arranged that _on_ _your own time_ , because you're actually interrupting a very important dinner for me right here." He gestured at the table. " _With Steve_. My dinner right here. So if you don't mind, get out of my space before I really get my gay on and cause a scene you won't _ever_ forget. Now _goodbye_."

Peggy stared at him, and Bucky stared right back. There was a moment, just a brief moment, where Bucky thought they might actually throw down right there, and he wasn't sure if he'd win or not but he refused to back down.

Luckily, the server appeared with the main course; the poor girl looking confused at the stand off currently happening.

It was the tension break they needed, and Peggy backed down. She didn't reply to Bucky, she only looked to Steve and said, " _Well_ ," with quiet anger simmering in her voice, "you've got what you wanted, Steve. I'll see you in court."

She turned on her heel and marched away, heels clicking over the floor. Several heads in the dining hall followed her dramatic exit. Bucky only rolled his eyes. "Girl, bye," he said, and sank back into his seat with a relieved sigh.

The poor server nervously slid the plates in front of him and Steve, then retreated.

Steve looked like he'd seen a ghost, when Bucky looked up to check on him. "You alright?" Bucky asked. "Sorry if I made things worse there."

Steve shook his head as a nervous laugh spilled out. "Believe me, nothing could make this situation any worse."

Bucky smiled wryly. "Thought we were gonna start rolling on the floor there for a hot second."

That got Steve laughing proper, though he hid it behind his hand. "Jesus. Bucky, I think I'm going to hire you as my new attorney. I've never actually seen her back down before."

"Oh, she's dramatic," Bucky agreed. "Got her number. Can't believe she just came in like that to lay into you. Rude."

Steve exhaled as he made a face that seemed to say, you don't know the half of it.

"Did you want to go back to the suite?" Bucky asked. He didn't care much if other diners were still side-eyeing them or not, but he was concerned about Steve.

"Well, our food's here now," Steve pointed out. "I'm fine here if you are?"

Bucky nodded, picking up his knife and fork. "Safer in public, right? If she breaks into your suite later I'll help you drown her in the hot tub like Glenn Close in _Fatal Attraction_."

Steve pressed his lips together so he didn't laugh. "Bucky."

"I'm just kidding," Bucky laughed. "It was a bath tub, not a hot tub. But seriously, Steve, maybe look at restraining orders or something. Red flags are red flags. Just sayin'."

"Mm, well." Steve shook his head. "I'll speak to my attorney tomorrow. I just wanted a quick divorce but I'm not sure it's going turn out so quick after all."

"Maybe not," Bucky said. "Hire a security detail? Or one of those little plastic cars the Pope rides around in?"

He was only kidding, but it made Steve grin and laugh all the same.

They ate their dinner, and though the mood was different after Peggy's surprise visit, they made the best of it together.

After dessert they left the dining hall and went to the elevators.

Bucky pretended to be cool but he was actually on the look out for Peggy hiding behind the potted ferns ready to jump at them.

Luckily the coast was clear.

"I'm not being paranoid," Bucky said to Steve in the elevator, "but can she get into your suite?"

"Um, no?" Steve didn't sound too sure. "Not unless reception gave her a key?"

"Shouldn't you check that?" Bucky pressed a button for a random floor that wasn't the penthouse, so they could get off and wait.

"I'm sure they wouldn't," Steve muttered, turning his phone back on.

"I'd rather know before we get in there," Bucky said.

Steve made the call, asking the front desk if anyone had requested access to the penthouse suite. Apparently the answer was no, so they got back into the elevator and headed up to the top floor.

"Sorry," Bucky said. "I just wanted to be sure, you know?"

"No, it's alright," Steve said quietly. "I'm the one who should be apologising."

"Why?" Bucky asked. "You can't apologise for someone else's behaviour."

"Well, that, and I didn't tell you I was still married," Steve admitted.

The elevator pinged as the doors opened, and they both gazed out at the penthouse suite warily.

Steve stepped out first, and Bucky followed.

"Look, I get it," Bucky said, heading to the drinks cabinet first. He needed something strong, and Steve probably did too. "I mean, it's not really my business, is it?"

Steve shrugged. "I hope you don't think less of me for it."

"For what?" Bucky picked out a bottle of bourbon and some glasses. "For getting divorced? My parents are divorced, I know it's rough."

"My parents were so happy," Steve said, wistful. "They made it look so easy."

"Here, drink." Bucky brought the glasses over to Steve, pushing one at him. "I do have a question, actually. Did she, Peggy, I mean, did she know you were into guys?"

"We're both bisexual," Steve said, and took a big gulp of the whiskey. "When we first separated, she was even dating other people. That's why I'm surprised she's done a one-eighty and wants to... I don't know? Stay together?" He shrugged. "I wasn't happy. I don't think she was either, so it makes no sense."

Bucky nodded, sipping his own bourbon. "Maybe because an actual divorce is more final than being separated? That's why?"

"Probably." Steve reached out and put an arm around Bucky's shoulders. "Anyway, it's not for you to worry about. It's my mess, I'll deal with it, and it'll be over with soon. I hope we can still spend time together?"

Bucky smiled up at him. "Just try and stop me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So chapter spoilers/info in full:  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> In Flashdance the movie, the guy's ex-wife comes up to them as they're having dinner in a restaurant and is a bit bitchy, so for this au I gave that role to Peggy (lol, sorry bitch) and it comes to light that she and Steve are going through a divorce, have been separated, and to add my own little flourish on because I had mcu grievances about them messing up canon, I wrote Bucky telling her to back the fck up, because someone had to.
> 
> Overall it's not that dramatic, only words. Lol
> 
> ~~
> 
> Ps. Please don't forget to check out the Flashdance Bucky art!! on [tumblr](https://jro616.tumblr.com/post/634597966512062464/dancer-bucky-commissioned-by-jro616-for-their) and on [twitter](https://twitter.com/fffirulais/status/1326893588559638529).


	11. You can dance right through your life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FINAL CHAPTER!!

The night before Bucky's call back for Calvin Klein he was supposed to be getting an early night so he could arrive bright eyed and bushy tailed at his audition in the morning.

But nerves would've stopped Bucky from sleeping anyway, so he'd swapped shifts and took the night off to be with Steve. Bucky figured that wearing himself out with a lot of mind blowing sex was just what he needed for a good night's sleep.

And for Steve too, since he'd had the added stress of dealing with his attorney the past few days trying to get his divorce settled.

They both needed a little R'n'R, a little cuddle time. After two rounds of love-making they were chilling out in the hot tub together with champagne and strawberries. Bucky loved cuddle time with Steve; he was a great cuddler. Bucky relaxed back against Steve's hard chest, with one of Steve's toned and muscled arms draped around him.

"What time's your audition?" Steve asked.

"Um, something stupid like ten," Bucky said, sipping his champagne.

"Is Monica going with you?"

"Nah." Bucky nuzzled his head into Steve's shoulder. "She can't make it."

Steve hummed thoughtfully. "Want me to come with you?"

"Aren't you busy?" Bucky hadn't asked Steve yet, had felt too shy to.

"I can make time," Steve told him, as Bucky turned around to face him. "What's the audition again? What will you be doing?"

"Well," Bucky tilted his head, "if it's anything like the last one, I'll be standing in one spot and taking my clothes on and off a lot."

Steve grinned. "Sounds hot. I'll come with you."

Bucky laughed and splashed Steve with the water. "Don't go looking at the other models, now."

"I only have eyes for you," Steve said, pulling Bucky to him for a kiss.

Bucky really should've slept more. The next morning it was very difficult to wake up.

Luckily he had Steve to basically kick him out of bed and into the shower, then throw some coffee at him, or Bucky would've struggled.

"Ugh," he said, chugging his coffee.

"I don't know how you're so tired," Steve commented, already showered and dressed. "You sleep like the dead."

"But I need _more_ sleep," Bucky whined.

"Nap later," Steve told him, taking the empty cup from Bucky's hands. "Go finish dressing, our car will be here soon."

Bucky grunted and banged into things on his way back to the bedroom. Thank goodness for Steve's cars, he thought. Left to his own devices, Bucky had often showed up late to auditions because he'd either gotten on the wrong bus or walked the wrong way down a street, even with Google maps. It happened more when he was stressed, messing up directions.

He was very grateful that all he had to do today was go downstairs and roll himself into the car when it arrived.

Bucky had brought his clothes with him the night before, and the hotel service had had them dry cleaned so all the creases had gone. Bucky wore suit pants paired with a nice shirt, and a leather jacket on top. He folded an extra couple of shirts and put them into his bag to take with him, just in case.

He tied his hair back, leaving one little tendril down at the front, and then he was ready.

"Is there more coffee?" he asked, trailing back to the lounge with his bag.

Steve poured him a cup with one hand, texting on his phone with the other. Always working and making it look so effortless.

"Can I come back here to nap after?" Bucky asked, taking his coffee from Steve.

"Sure," Steve replied, putting his phone away. "Ready? We should go downstairs."

Bucky took another few slurps of precious coffee. "I'm ready. I am." One more slurp. "Okay, let's go."

The ride downtown was fine, amazingly not too busy with traffic.

Bucky's nerves decided to make themselves known, and his knee bounced up and down in the backseat of the car until Steve put his hand there to stop it.

"Relax," he said gently. "You got this."

"I can't help it," Bucky replied. "I've had so many terrible auditions."

"Well, sometimes things go the way we want, and sometimes they don't," Steve said. "That's how life is. But you keep trying, keep at it. One day it'll pay off."

"But what if it doesn't?" Bucky blurted out, surprised at himself for even voicing it. "My sister used to call me Joey Tribbiani, because I always messed up my auditions so bad and I can't act."

"Joey...?" Steve frowned.

"It's from _Friends_ , Steve." Bucky had to laugh. "Oh, God. Have you not even seen _Friends?_ "

"I know of it," Steve said, smiling. "I remember when it came out."

"Because it's old," Bucky teased, then squealed when Steve reached under his jacket to pinch his side.

"It can't be that old," Steve said. "How come you've seen it?"

"They show repeats," Bucky told him. "My sister was obsessed. So, one of the guys on it wanted to be an actor, but he was so bad at it. That's why she said I was like him."

Steve made a face. "That doesn't sound very nice."

"That's because she's a mean bitch." Bucky laughed. "Doesn't mean she wasn't right. Ugh!"

"Bucky, stop putting yourself down," Steve said firmly. "You need a new affirmation. Repeat after me, I will nail this audition."

Bucky grinned as Steve watched him, squirming in his seat because he was shy. "I will nail this audition," he mumbled.

"I will _nail_ this audition," Steve repeated with emphasis. "Say it."

" _I will nail this audition!_ " Bucky called out. Even though it was silly, he felt kind of better after saying it.

The car dropped them off outside an office building on the lower west side, and Steve told the driver to go get himself a coffee and he'd call when they needed to be picked up again.

Then it was just Bucky and Steve on the side-walk, and Steve led the way to the building.

"Is this the right place?" Bucky asked, looking around for a sign that made sense. He couldn't read a thing right now.

"This is the right address," Steve said, as they walked through the glass doors. "Ah, look. There's a sign for your audition."

Bucky squinted. Over on the far wall was a piece of paper tacked there, saying _Calvin Klein this way_.

"Wow, they couldn't afford a sign," Bucky murmured, as he followed after Steve.

"They probably only rent the place short term for this audition," Steve said, "but I could be wrong."

They headed down the hallway until Bucky spotted all the familiar signs of an audition in progress: model types hanging about in the halls, and a queue forming. Relief washed over him that he was in the right place, and on time.

There was even a welcome desk set up, with a couple of people who looked like supermodels sitting behind it taking names. Steve nudged Bucky toward the desk, and he cleared his throat self consciously before giving his name and showing her his I.D.

"James Barnes," he mumbled.

The petite blonde smiled at him as ticked off his name, then handed him a card with a number. "Please join the queue to see the director. If you need the bathroom, it's down the hall to the right."

"Thanks," Bucky said, taking his card and rushing back to Steve's side. "I didn't have to fill in anything," he said in a hushed voice.

"They already know you, right?" Steve sounded amused, but he put his hand on Bucky's shoulder in a reassuring squeeze. "Relax. You're gonna nail this."

Bucky jittered with nerves as they stood in the queue. He looked around at the other models, a real quirky mix of people; mostly young, lots of different skin tones, and some brightly colored hair-do's and piercings on show.

This was definitely one of the more interesting auditions Bucky had been in. A couple of models had brought people with them too, probably parents, Bucky would've guessed. Or, parents slash agents. He'd always wished he'd had someone supportive with him at auditions, and today he had Steve.

When Bucky's turn came, they headed inside the room that was set up like most other auditions: bright lights, cameras, the marker point in the middle of the floor.

Steve came too and held Bucky's bag for him, while Bucky went over to the marker. The assistant director came over and started talking to Bucky, explaining what the director wanted him to do and not do. It was a similar request as last time, as Bucky had expected.

They got to work. Bucky did his shots, first in clothes and then removing his jacket. The A.D. guided him on what to do, although when Bucky happened to glance over at Steve, Steve made a subtle motion for Bucky to smile.

Bucky was so amused by that, he smiled for real. Then he did smile more for the camera, and the A.D. asked him to do some laughing.

Laughing he could do. Bucky was great at goofing.

Next came the taking off of clothes, doing some turns and walking from one marker to the next. The A.D. asked him to amend his walk, make it slower.

"You mean less gay?" Bucky joked, which got her laughing.

"No, keep it gay," she replied, "just slower, please!"

Bucky did a slower walk. He could walk just fine, he spent most nights strutting around in a sultry manner after all. Who'd have thought a stripping job would come in so useful.

The A.D. told him that was great, and then they moved onto putting his clothes back on.

Overall, it went pretty fast for Bucky, and just like that he was dressed again and about to walk out the door.

"James?" The A.D. called him back.

"Go on," Steve urged him quietly. So Bucky went over to her, worried he was about to be told he'd sucked, never audition again and get out of town.

"Yes?" he squeaked.

She smiled at him. "The director loves your look. He wants you back for preliminary shooting next week. Here's the schedule." She handed him a sheet of paper. "Can you get your agent to contact us tomorrow?"

"Uh... yes...?" Bucky took the paper, in complete shock.

"Great." She smiled warmly. "So we should see you on the set next week. Great work today!"

"Uh... thanks," Bucky said, as the A.D. dashed away. He stared down at the sheet, but the words all blurred and there was no way he could read it right now.

Steve came up behind him. "What's this?"

"Um, a schedule?" Bucky showed it to him. "I have to tell Monica to call them."

"So, they're hiring you?" Steve broke into a grin. "Hey, that's fantastic! Well done, Bucky. Bucky?" He touched Bucky's shoulder. "You alright? You're not going to faint, are you?"

"No," Bucky scoffed. (God, he hoped not.)

"Alright, c'mon," Steve said gently, both hands on Bucky's shoulders to guide him out the room. "I know what you need. We'll head back to the suite, get some brunch in you, some more coffee. Let the news sink in. Okay?"

"Okay," Bucky said, still in a daze. He walked out into the hallway, barely registering all the other people still waiting in line.

Steve walked him out the building and to the pedestrian area outside. "Wait here," he said, looking Bucky in his eyes to make sure he got the message. "I'm going to call the car. We'll be back at the hotel soon."

Bucky nodded.

It was starting to sink in, slowly but surely.

Steve turned around and got his phone out to call their car, strolling away a few paces. Bucky looked at the sheet in his hand, trying to read it. He could make out the big letters at the top which said Calvin Klein, he recognised them.

The more he stared at the page, the wobbly words started to come into focus and he read his own name there, along with the days he was due for shooting.

"I nailed my audition," he said in disbelief. He pictured the looks on his mom and sister's faces when they'd get to see him in an actual commercial.

Bucky broke into a grin, looking around for Steve. He spotted him a little ways off, just ending his phone call. Bucky ran over to him.

"Steve!" he called out, making Steve look round. "I got it! I got the part!"

"Oh, there he is," Steve chuckled, opening his arms for Bucky to fling himself into them, "I told you you'd nail this."

Bucky hugged onto Steve, so full of happiness he could just about burst. "You were right," he said. "I totally nailed it!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they moved in together and lived happily ever after, and went on lots of gay brunch dates with Carol/Maria, the end.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> If you enjoyed the story please leave me a nice comment! It really helps!
> 
> I am on [tumblr](http://jro616.tumblr.com) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/jro616).


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